The Day That Went Askew
by BethShadows
Summary: S1:E17 'Moon Ring 2' AU. It had been a weak shot to begin with, canal water to undo a Moon Ring's defensive blast? It shouldn't have been a surprise when it didn't work, but now they're stuck with an unconscious Mermaid, they're untrained, their options are limited and tensions are high... Moon Rings are dangerous. Too bad it took this much to make that really sink in.
1. Chapter 1

**A Mako Mermaids AU starting from season 1 episode 17: Moon Ring 2. I have a tumblr post explaining my thinking behind this fic, my tumblr url is mako-and-tails-and-stuff, but basically it doesn't make much sense that the antidote to a powerful Mermaid weapon is sea water. It sort of defeats the purpose of it being a weapon to be used against merpeople, who are in the sea pretty much all of the time.**

**So this story explores what could've happened after Rita was hit with a Moon Ring and just getting her to the sea (technically it was a canal) wasn't enough. **

**Summary: **It had been a weak shot to begin with, canal water to undo a Moon Ring's defensive blast? It shouldn't have been a surprise when it didn't work, but hope can blind you. Now they're stuck. Stuck with an unconscious, and injured Mermaid, and with no real ideas on what to do. They're untrained, their options are limited and tensions are high.

_"You must have complete control of the ring, or there's no telling what damage it could cause."_

Moon Rings are dangerous. Too bad it took this much to make that really sink in.

* * *

"Give up?" Zac asked tauntingly. The game of chase around his boatshed was entertaining certainly. He could dance around the table and the Mermaids couldn't get to him.

"Both of us," Sirena whispered and held out her arm, Lyla did the same. Zac jumped to the side. Their blast missed him, only succeeded in knocking trophies off his bookcase. No biggie. Zac looked over the damage and turned back to face the Mermaids as they forced their hands out again.

Zac lunged to the side with a grunt of effort.

_Thud. Clatter. Crash._

The shelves behind Zac fell backwards with a thud and a clatter loud enough that his granny in Sydney could probably hear it.

"I hope you're satisfied," Zac surveyed the damage. The bookshelf would go back up but from here he couldn't see if anything was broken. If there was the Mermaids would pay for it.

"Not until we get the ring back," Lyla retorted.

The Mermaids could be stubborn, but so could he.

"What? This?" Zac pulled the ring from his pocket and held it out, waving it in the air. It was funny watching them scramble to get it. He could go another round.

Both of the Mermaids held out their hands, arms outstretched. The stone of the ring glowed blue and Zac's arm tingled right up to his shoulder. The tingling stopped as a blast of blue plasma-energy-stuff (he didn't know what it was) shot out of the ring.

Then the door opened.

Through the blue haze Zac saw Rita in the doorway.

The energy blast missed the Mermaids and hit into Rita. She dropped to her knees, then to the ground and Zac's blood went cold.

Lyla grabbed the ring from his hand. Her lips were moving but he couldn't hear the words. She kneeled down beside Rita, Sirena beside her. Zac shook his head and blinked until his ears were picking up sound again.

"She's still breathing," Lyla said ,placing her hand on Rita's back.

Still breathing? Why would she not be breathing? Why would teenage Mermaids be given rings that could kill people?

"We told you the Moon Ring was dangerous," Sirena looked up him, blue eyes wide.

"Only around you," Zac went straight to defensive. It covered the uneasy squirming in his stomach. He needed to do something to deflect. Zac saw his chance and stepped around the unconscious Mermaid on the floor and shut the boat shed door and turned the lock for good measure.

"What do we do now?" Sirena asked.

"We've got to think of something," Lyla said.

How does one undo hitting someone with a dangerous Mermaid ring?

"Zac? What's happening in there?" Evie's voice came from outside the door, followed by a knock on the door. Evie. Not Evie. Why couldn't it have been Cam? Cam knows about Mermaids. Cam knows the secret. Cam isn't suspicious as fuck over everything.

"Nothing," Zac lied, "uh ...some books fell over."

"Then why is the door locked?"

"Is it?" Zac asked, playing dumb. This, they didn't need this.

"Yes. Unlock the door. Now. Please."

"This morning, when Rita was talking about the moon rings, water she said something about water," Sirena said, "Water is the essence of our spirit."

"That's right," Lyla agreed.

"It has the power to heal!"

Water. He had water. He'd left a bottle somewhere. He looked around and spotted it on top of his fridge. Zac stretched up and pulled it down.

"This better work," Zac said.

"It can't make things any worse," Sirena said.

Zac unscrewed the lid and poured the water out over Rita's shoulder. She transformed almost instantly, tail stretching out behind her.

Transformations weren't usually that instantaneous on land, and with such little water. Diving fully into water caused an instant change but not a few drops of bottled water.

A fleeting revelation passed over Zac's mind just then, that he'd never seen Rita with a tail before. It disappeared as quick as it came when he realised she still wasn't waking up.

Zac looked to Sirena, "so much for not making things worse."

"Okay, now things can't get any worse," Sirena said.

"Stop saying that," Lyla snapped.

"No we need sea water. She was born in the Sea, so we need to get her to the ocean. How are we going to do that?"

"Zac!" Evie rattled on the door again.

"We can't do anything with Evie right outside the door," Lyla didn't look up at Zac, but he felt the barbed comment.

"We need to lift her," Sirena said.

"So we carry her across the garden, where my parents and Evie are sitting waiting for us to finish downloading something and re-join them for lunch?" Zac asked. "Not happening."

"Well we can't leave her here," Sirena looked up at Zac. There was an edge in her voice Zac had never heard before. Sirena had always been … sweet. It was Lyla and Nixie who enforced more edge and harshness, Lyla especially.

"We need help," Zac relented and pulled his phone out. There was one person who could help right now. And his name was Cam. He hurriedly typed out and sent a text, not caring to go back and fix that spelling error. Cam wasn't an English hot-shot either, he'd know what Zac was meaning.

"We don't have time to wait around for Cam," Lyla said.

"We'll have to do it between us," Sirena said quietly.

Zac mentally collapsed. This whole thing was going to be awkward. At least it would be over soon. Just get Rita into the water, she'd be fine and then he could clean up the mess with his parents and Evie and find someway to explain Rita's sudden disappearance. He'd become 10% more skilled at lying since becoming a Merman and now was a good a time as any to prove his skills.

Also three people trying to carry one person just sounded complicated. Too many cooks spoil the soup, or something like that. Two's company, three's a crowd or whatever. He was probably strong enough to do it himself, a fact that he voiced aloud. Lyla scoffed and rolled her eyes, Sirena quietly disagreed with him.

He tried to lift Rita himself, his arm around her back, but she was heavier than he thought as proven by his straining to lift her high enough off the ground. He admitted defeat and set her back on the ground.

"Don't you guys have like super strength or something?" Zac asked trying to catch his breath back.

It was the tail. Their tails were heavy and it was hard enough dragging his own behind him on land, let alone taking the full weight of someone else's. Not to mention the length of their tail. Their fins extended more than a foot over their normal human height. Rita might be small on land, but in her current state she was taller than Zac (if of course they could stand on their tail tips without just falling over.)

Also it was kinda uncomfortable touching her like that. He was almost grateful he couldn't lift her.

"No we have regular strength," Lyla said, narrowing her eyes.

"Can you turn her back to human? It'll be easier to move her if she doesn't have a tail," Zac said.

Why hadn't they thought of that before? She was already dried off enough that Zac didn't transform from his attempts to lift her.

"Why can't you do it?" Lyla asked, "you were the one holding the Moon Ring out like that. This is on you."

"I wasn't the one using my powers to activate it! But I've never done it on anyone but me," Zac admitted, "I don't want to burn her."

Sirena slowly curled in her fingers and held her hand over Rita's tail, tendrils of steam rising up from her scales. Sirena kept her hand clenched even as her face crumpled in worry.

"She should've turned by now," Lyla whispered.

"We need to get her into the water now," Sirena's voice quivered.

Zac swore. "Can it wait until Cam gets here?"

"If she dies now because we couldn't get her into the water - it is on you," Lyla glared at him. Her shift to anger, mirroring the tightening of the atmosphere and Zac's stomach. Rita wouldn't really die. She couldn't. This wasn't the type of danger they were supposed to get into. This wasn't 'Riverdale', they weren't tracking serial killers or finding out who really killed that dead kid. They were just normal teenagers. Who had tails. And three who weren't even human. Still a better plot than 'Riverdale.'

"Zac?" Cam's voice came through the wood followed by a tentative knock.

Zac sighed in relief and unlocked the door, letting Cam into the boatshed. Cam looked over them, the Mermaid on the floor, Lyla and Sirena kneeling down and Zac, well internally panicking. He blinked once before speaking.

"What the fuck happened?"

"It doesn't matter, we just need to get her to the water now," Lyla snapped.

"How exactly?" Cam asked.

"We carry her," Lyla said, "how else?"

* * *

"Okay this is awkward," Zac remarked at the same time Cam chimed in with ' this feels weird.'

The whole situation felt… wrong. He hated that they were even it, but Lyla was right - it was his fault. If he had just given the Mermaids the Moon Ring they wouldn't be in a ticking clock situation with an unconscious Mermaid, who just so happened to be his school principal. Who he was struggling to lift up off the ground. Again. And where his hands were did absolutely nothing to help anything.

"Stop complaining and hurry up," Lyla rolled her eyes and helped Zac lift Rita up.

"She's heavier than she looks," Cam defended.

"Our tails our heavy," Sirena said, "it helps us stay neutral with the water."

"Ah, gotcha."

"On three," Lyla said, "one, two, three."

"Who's getting the door?" Cam asked.

Zac looked up at his shut and locked door and swore.

* * *

_Splash_

Zac stepped back to avoid the water sent flying up as they practically, well literally, dropped Rita into the water. He noted Lyla and Sirena doing the same. He scanned over the water and waited.

And waited.

The water was beginning to settle and there was no sign that their idea had worked. No movement, no flash of gold, nothing.

"Something's wrong," Lyla said.

Cam looked behind them, Nixie was staring at them from over by the plant pots where Evie's ring had 'fallen', looking nervously at Rob, Lauren and Evie. They were looking up at each other. That splash was pretty loud.

"You have like two seconds before they start coming over here to see what that splash was," Cam said.

Lyla swung her arms forward and dove off the edge of the dock into the water without hesitation.

Zac watched as the water was thrown into chaos again as Lyla broke the surface. The gold glint of her tail was faintly visible under the water, her fin disappearing under the dock they were stood on.

"What was that?" Lauren looked up.

"Probably nothing," Nixie said. They really couldn't have been more discreet? Nixie looked over to the dock and caught Cam's eye before turning back to keeping Zac's parents and Evie distracted.

"A splash like that isn't nothing," Evie shot back.

"It could be," Rob said.

Another splash.

Seriously? Two big splashes and a bunch of clueless land people who do not know about the existence of Mermaids. Was she the only one that actually thought about this stuff?

Evie rolled her eyes and stalked off down the dock to the group, standing looking out over the water.

* * *

The water was far from deep here, but murkier than expected, like something had been stirred up on the bottom. Even in the cloudy water, she found Rita easily, her bright hair like the reddest coral standing out as the flowed out behind the still unconscious Mermaid.

Lyla hooked her arms around Rita and turned the Mermaid around and pulling her in so her back was against Lyla's chest. A couple of smooth tail flicks and Lyla glided backwards as far as she could to get underneath the wooden jetty.

She couldn't move Rita all the way back to the grotto by herself and had no way to get anyone else's attention. The only option was to keep herself and Rita hidden in the shallows under the jetty until someone else came to check on them.

Lyla heaved herself backwards onto the sand at the shoreline. The water level was just high enough to cover her tail and no more. Lyla kept her arm around Rita and maneuvered the other Mermaid so that her head was on Lyla's tail to ensure she kept breathing only air. They may be Mermaids, but they can still drown.

Lyla looked up as the wood creaked above her. Figures blocked the light that came down through the gaps in the woods and passed over, leaving sunlight streaming in through once again.

Lyla cast her eyes down over Rita. She was paler than normal and her skin had red marks over her chest, shoulder and stomach. They didn't look good. Lyla could see the edges of them were a darker red, like blood. Thankfully there didn't seem to be any blood weeping from the wounds. A light swipe of her hand over the worst of the marks confirmed the marks were only marks; no blood. So that was one less thing.

The last thing they needed was a wandering Bull shark following the scent of blood.

* * *

"Incoming," Cam whispered and Zac whipped around to see Evie stalking towards them, his parents and Nixie behind her. He did not like the "are you serious?" looks Nixie was shooting him, but the suspicion etched onto Evie's face was far worse.

"What was that splash?" Evie asked, looking accusingly at each of them.

"Dolphins," Sirena said and smiled. It looked like a genuine enough smile, but Zac looked right through it, given what just happened. Not to mention the slight strain in Sirena's voice.

"Dolphins?" Evie shot Zac a pointed look. As Zac dodged her gaze he noted the similar look Nixie was giving Sirena. As far as excuses went it was fairly poor, but no one else had thought of anything better, himself included.

"We think," Cam chimed in backing Sirena up, "might have been a porpoise."

"A dolphin in the canal?" Lauren asked. His mother's skepticism was not something he wanted right now. Right now he wanted to ...cry? The lump that grew in his throat was a telltale sign. Why did he want to cry? There really wasn't time for this, they were in a crisis. A crisis that he was at least partly responsible for. He was responsible for this. That fact caught in his chest and made breathing the hardest thing he'd ever done.

"Or a porpoise," Cam reiterated.

"It's happened before," Zac said, joining in the fray and swallowing down the lump, and forcing the continued process of breathing. "Remember when Joe chased one up the canal?"

Although no one ever saw the dolphin. Except Sirena. And then Sirena disappeared and another dolphin appeared… Zac exhaled sharply. What were the chances that the 'dolphins' were actually Mermaids? That would explain to boat continuing to go crazy, even after he had stopped messing with it.

"I do," his dad nodded and shrugged, "odd things happen. Shall we get back to lunch?"

"Where's Ms Santos?" Lauren asked, looking over the group.

"And Lyla?" Evie followed on.

"They had to go," Sirena said, "Rita said she's really sorry about leaving so suddenly but it's her sister, um, Lyla's mum, she called, said it was an emergency and there wasn't enough room in the car for everyone to go so she just took Lyla. Seeing as it's her mum," Sirena trailed off.

"Oh, well, do you have to go too?" Lauren asked, motherly concern blossoming in an instant, "I can drop you home if need be?"

"Or you can stay and finish lunch?" Rob suggested.

"I think dad just wants to get back to his food," Zac said.

"Can't blame a man for wanting his food," Rob patted his belly.

"Thank you Mrs Blakely, but we'll be fine. We can walk home," Sirena said, "right Nixie?"

Nixie blinked, "sure. It's not far."

"Stay and finish your lunch, it'd be a shame to put it all to waste," Lauren said.

"Thank you so much Mrs Blakely," Sirena smiled.

"Well it doesn't look like the dolphins are coming back, so why don't we go and sit and eat?" Rob suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Cam agreed.

As Rob lead them all back to the table Zac grabbed Cam's arm.

"One of us needs to find out what happened," Zac whispered. Evie would not be impressed if he slipped off again, and honestly, he really wanted to disconnect for what just happened, even if just for a second. Plus Cam was human, he could get water on him and keep his legs, which could be handy.

Cam looked up to Evie as she walked back to the table beside Sirena, and then back to Zac.

"I'll go, you stay with your girlfriend. She's suspicious enough already."

"Be quick," Zac let go of Cam's arm, "I have scuba stuff in my room you can use."

"Don't worry, I'm the Camster - I have a plan."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the first chapter, any feedback is happily received, and chapter two will be up soon. **

**So I haven't posted much Mako fanfiction in a while, I have been writing some but never enough for anything to post. My main writing focus for the past year has been a Skulduggery Pleasant fanfiction - The Vines of Valkyrie and Tanith, in which characters recreate vines. I originally had the idea for doing writing it as a Mako Mermaids fanfiction with Zac and Cam recreating vines but it hasn't happened yet. One day I'll make it happen. One day. **

**I'll have chapter two completed and posted hopefully by the end of this week. **

**Until next time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome back for chapter two.**

**Summary: A plan is formed on how to get back to the grotto. **

* * *

Cam stuffed a bit of lettuce in his mouth and was forced to cover his mouth as he gagged on the leaf. It was limp and covered in far too much salad dressing and his stomach protested violently. Speaking of his stomach - butterflies fluttered wildly as he tried to string together a plan.

Cam's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the screen. It was from Zac. Cam looked up at Zac who was talking away to Evie, looking entirely unsuspicious.

_Say from sister. That you g2g. Get stuff go help Lyla._

"Everything alright Cam?" Lauren asked, holding her fork above her plate, concern on her face.

"Yeah, no, it's just my sister. She's not well. I gotta go help my mum and get some stuff from the shop."

"Right now?" Rob asked.

"Yeah, sorry, I'd better get going," Cam pushed his chair back and slipped out, pushing it back in, "I just left some stuff in Zac's room, I'll just grab it and go."

"Oh,no bother, do you need a lift?" Lauren asked.

"It's all good Mrs B," Cam stood up and slipped between his chair and Nixie's, "I can run faster across the paths."

Cam shoved his chair back in, pocketed his phone and jogged off across the garden.

* * *

Zac's scuba stuff was where it always was. Packed in a box in the nearest corner, on top of the box of old school stuff and below the box of current school stuff as to remind Zac to study whenever he went for his scuba stuff. It stopped working once Zac became a fish. Not that it had ever worked well.

Cam dragged the box off the top and set it to the side. He pried open the lid of the scuba box and took out a snorkel and mask. The flippers were at the bottom and he was forced to dig them out from under wet suits that no longer fitted either of them. Cam held the flippers under his arm and slung the mask over his shoulder by its strap.

Cam pulled his phone back out and sent Zac a text. Heading out. Dont let anyone see me. Leaving phone in your room. Water + phone = no phone.

He set his phone on Zac's littered coffee table and quietly opened the door. He slipped out and left it open behind. Cam took a peak around. Zac was standing at the end of the table mimicking a dolphin diving and splashing about. Evie looked embarrassed, Nixie was laughing along with the Blakely's and Sirena was … crying? Laughing? Cam couldn't tell and he didn't have time to see.

He slipped out, stuck close to the side of the boat shed and bolted around the back, walking away from the boat shed directly inline with the building to hide from the Blakelys and company. Cam cut across to the canal and sat on the sand to pull on his flippers.

It was then he realised he still had his shoes on. Cam swore, pried off his shoes and tossed them into the grass. They landed semi-near Zac's boat shed, he'd get them again. He wriggled his feet into the flippers, pulled on the mask and the snorkel and waddled down the sand into the water.

The water wasn't deep, it was barely deep enough to swim, but still he swam, his belly only just above the sand surface. He was disturbing the sand, the little grains spiraled against his stomach. Later on he would be finding sand everywhere, but for now it didn't seem important. What was important was finding Lyla.

It was Lyla's tail he saw under the Blakely's dock, her fin submerged in the water only just above the sand. Cam kicked on faster, the flippers propelling him through the water until he surfaced beside Lyla.

* * *

Nixie focused on her weird land food, every so often trying to catch Sirena's eye. It never worked. All it did was attract a glare from Evie. They needed to go. And soon. The food felt empty in her stomach no matter how much she ate.

Finally, finally she caught Sirena's eye and gave her a hard look. Sirena nodded and set down her cutlery.

"Thank you for lunch Mrs Blakely," Sirena smiled sweetly, "we should probably head and see how Lyla's doing."

"Yeah, thanks," Nixie added on and set her fork really needed to go. Cam had left a little while ago and Lyla would be getting antsy. Sirena and Zac had quickly filled her in on what happened.

The whole situation was a mess and she would have to be the one who cleaned it up. Lyla was too rash, she charged headfirst into things without thinking and Sirena was the opposite while Zac was Zac. He was a Merman and this was a Mermaid problem. They didn't need him.

Plus Nixie was probably the only one who actually had a plan or how to get back to the grotto without one - Rita drowning - and two - anyone seeing them. Rita had given her a brief lesson on potions and there was one, okay a few, that stuck in her mind. Only one that would be their best shot for now. If that failed, she had a very short list of back ups.

"It was wonderful to have you over girls," Lauren said, "I hope everything's okay with your aunt, tell Lyla and Ms Santos we're asking for them."

"Of course. Thank you for having us," Sirena stood up and slipped between the seats.

"Bye girls," Rob said, giving them a wave.

"Is it alright if we go out the back?" Nixie asked, they could make it to canal much easier from there.

"No bother, see you another time," Lauren smiled.

Nixie led Sirena out of the garden and out of sight before they made their way to canal.

"Come on, I have a plan on how to get Rita back to the grotto," Nixie took Sirena's hand and stopped on the sandy shore by the water.

"You do?" Sirena asked. The happy guise she's worn in front of the Blakelys was gone and her worry was clear as the Full Moon's light.

"You bet I do."

Nixie waded out into the water, Sirena right on her heels, and dove forward into the water letting her body shift instantly from legs to tail. She kept under the water, Sirena close behind her, sticking as close to the canal bed as possible, not daring to come close to the surface until they reached the dock.

Nixie surfaced a second after Sirena once safely under the dock. Lyla was sitting in the water beside Cam, only her head and shoulders above the water. Cam was awkwardly supporting Rita above the water. The Mermaid had red marks all over her chest and side in a branching, jagged pattern, almost like a lightning strike.

"So what's the plan?" Cam asked. Nixie looked away from the wounds, if they were wounds, they didn't seem to be bleeding, so whatever those marks were - they could deal with that later. One problem at a time.

"There stuff at Rita's we can get and use to get her back there," Nixie explained. She knew exactly what she needed, she just didn't know what it was called. It was some Spanish name she couldn't remember.

"Can't you swim with her?"

"It's a long way and through the canal. It's too dangerous," Sirena said.

"This will work though," Nixie assured, "I know what we need but there's a few things we need done for it to work." They needed a Moon Ring and they needed someone to stay at the grotto. There were three of them, one of which had a Moon Ring. They could do it.

They had to do it.

"We may need Zac's help," Lyla said.

Nixie sighed and rolled her eyes, "we probably won't." There were three of them, they didn't need Zac or anyone else.

"We might," Lyla forced, "I'll let him know what's happening at least."

Lyla slipped under the water and vanished off.

Nixie scoffed.

"We'll go get what we need," Nixie said, referring to herself and Sirena.

"What about me?" Cam asked, "do you know how many sharks are in these canals nowadays? I am not a tasty human to other humans but to a shark? I may as well be a seal."

"It didn't bother you before."

"I'll stay with Cam," Sirena said quietly.

"Cam will be fine, I need you to help me," Nixie said. She wanted Sirena with her to keep Sirena from going over the edge. Cam wouldn't know what to do, he'd undoubtedly say something to make Sirena freak out. Plus maybe having a land person helping was okay. He could at least get out of the water in a hurry if something happened.

Nixie dove under the water, slapping her fin on the surface in the process and pushed down the unnerving squirming in her stomach.

* * *

"Uh-" Cam was cut off by Nixie diving under the water and Sirena following after with an apologetic smile.

"Hurry back!" Cam called after the Mermaids. His reply was a fin, Nixie's he guessed, slapping the surface, and then he was left alone with Rita.

"Please."

* * *

Zac shut the door of the boatshed and collapsed back against the wood. He'd heard nothing about what was happening with his mother's art gallery and Evie's new range of clothes in the shop. His mind had been working at 200 miles an hour, obsessing over everything that happened. He had no idea what was going on with the Mermaids.

"Zac?"

Zac leapt upright and instinctively held out his hand. He relaxed when he saw it was Lyla standing in front of his once again standing bookshelf.

"I put your bookshelf back up," Lyla said smiling sadly.

"Thanks," Zac stuck his hands in his pockets and looked off to the side.

"We need your help."

"What do you need?" Zac pulled out his hands, ready for any distraction. The last time he was in this room…

"I need you to come with me."

"Okay!" He wanted to leave. Desperately. Then he was hit with it, he couldn't. "I can't leave right now. I need to walk Evie home." Evie was suspicious and angry about the lunch and her ring and he seriously needed to smooth things over.

"Evie can handle herself," Lyla said, "this is important. We need to get Rita somewhere safe."

"Where do you need me to be and I'll meet you there?"

"Rita's house. Go through the house until you find the library. Pull the book that says ``Mermaid Myths and go down the stairs."

"What?" Library, books, stairs, what? "I'm not comfortable wandering through her house." He really wasn't. Boundaries were important and some had definitely been crossed already today.

Lyla sighed, "would you be able to find the house in the water? There's an underwater entrance in the rocks."

"Zac?" Evie was calling him from outside.

Underwater entrance? Awesome.

"I'll find it," Zac promised. It wouldn't be that hard. He spotted a ring in some coral, he could find some caves in some cliffs. His mouth went sour as he remembered the ring. He should've just left it, He shouldn't have given it to Evie. He should've just given it to the Mermaids instead of being a stubborn arsehole.

"Good," Lyla swiped her hand across her chest and cloaked herself.

"Zac?" Evie opened the door, "you ready to go."

"Yup. Yeah. I'm ready."

* * *

"Which one is it?" Sirena asked frantically hands grazing over all the little bottles in the chest of potions Rita kept in the grotto.

Nixie put a hand on Sirena's shoulder, "breathe in, breathe out."

Sirena did as Nixie said and Nixie dropped her hand off Sirena's shoulder. Rita had told her what every one of these potions did. Blue was for neutralizing any water, that thick green one was a rejuvenating potion, that red one did something to do with hallucinations. The one she needed was yellow and shimmery. There were two bottles left last time and she needed both.

Blue. Pink. Blue. Green. Pink. Pink. Purple. Yellow. Yellow.

Nixie picked up the two yellow glass vials. The liquid inside was thin and yellow and shimmered under the light.

"It's this one," Nixie said.

"You found it already?" Lyla asked coming up behind them. Her surprise was clearly scrawled across her face.

"Yeah. I knew which one it was."

"How?" Lyla crossed her arms.

"It was my plan I had to know what I was doing and now, we've got to get back," Nixie darted off across the grotto's upper level and slammed straight into something hard blocking the way through the doorway. She stumbled backwards and the thing she hit cried out.

"Zac? Are you okay?" Lyla asked.

Nixie rolled her eyes and looked up. Lyla by passed her to check if Zac was okay. Zac was the whole reason for this situation and yet she wanted to make sure he was okay. What ever happened to 'sisters first.' Also she was the one holding the potion to make sure they could actually get Rita back here safely. Sort of safely. She'd never used this potion but it didn't sound complicated.

"I'm fine," Zac rubbed his chest, "I came to see if you needed help? Lyla said you did..."

"We do actually," Nixie handed Zac one of the bottles, it was better keeping him out of the water. Rita wouldn't be happy if she woke up and found out that both Zac and Cam had been involved. "Once we leave you need empty this into the water. Do nothing else and just wait for us to get back."

Zac looked at the bottle confused. He looked like a dolphin trying to figure out how fishing nets worked. "What?"

"Stand on the land. Pour the bottle into the pool. Do nothing else."

"Please Zac?" Sirena begged.

"Yeah of course," Zac looked up, "What does it do?"

"We'll explain later, but we need to go," Nixie said, "whatever happens do nothing more than I told you to do."

"I'll stay with Zac," Lyla said.

Nixie rolled her eyes and sighed, "whatever."

* * *

It was cold in the water. For being a nice, warm Australian summer day it was cold. Cam shivered in his t-shirt as the water lapped around him.

The Mermaid he was awkwardly supporting above the surface felt no warmer than he was. He kept Rita's upper back leaning against his arm. He didn't like how her head lolled back and how cold her skin was. Or that he was even touching her skin. It was not the kind of relationship he wanted with his school principal. Lyla had gotten him to support her as the incoming tide made it more difficult for Lyla to keep herself balanced and keep Rita above the water.

He lost track of how long he'd been there. Lyla had left to help Nixie and Sirena (he'd seen the trail in the water) Zac had been and gone (he also saw his trail in the water) and the only way he had of tracking time was the waves. And he lost count after fourteen waves. Or was it twelve…

He just wanted to be warm again. And dry. Not crouched in the water with an unconscious Mermaid. It wasn't his idea of a fun Saturday.

Cam began humming to himself, and desperately stared at the water praying for the Mermaids to come back. He was halfway through the song for the fifth time when his prayers were answered and Nixie and Sirena returned.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed chapter two, chapter three is not far off. Chapter three was originally part of this chapter but I decided to split it into two shorter chapters rather than one big long chapter, so it'll be up next week. I like doing one chapter a week, but I'm starting college on Monday and between that and working nights weekly updates probably won't be feasible but I will try. **

**Also apologies for spelling errors or anything like that, I always think I've got them all then I re-read a few days later and notice so many mistakes. **

**Until next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary: The plan is put into action but not without consequences and questions that need answers.**

* * *

Nixie sped through the water, clutching the glass in her hand. If not for Sirena, she would've missed the canal opening, she was so focused on getting back as fast as she could she forgot to look for the entrance . She hated swimming through the canals. There were too many of them and the water felt weird, and all the boats. So many boats. Sometimes at night the memory of being chased up this very canal by a relentless speed boat swirled around in her mind. So much could've gone wrong that day.

She surfaced under the jetty beside Cam, who was still supporting Rita's upper body, holding her above the water and looking incredibly uncomfortable. Lyla should've stayed with Cam. The land boy wasn't looking so good.

Sirena surfaced beside her, saying nothing but tucking in closer to Nixie.

"Anything?" Nixie asked.

"Nope. Nothing and more nothing," Cam said, "did you get all the stuff you need?"

He was shivering. It was weird how land people found it cold in the water. They were so bad at regulating temperature. Mermaids adjusted to changes in temperatures a lot quicker. Normally. But when Nixie took over holding Rita at the surface, (much to Cam's very visible relief) her skin was cold, far too cold - like a corpse. Nixie mentally shook that image out of her head, curled her hands ever so slightly over Rita's arms and kept them there for a second just to warm up the Mermaid. She wasn't dead, she wasn't going to die, it would be okay. They'd get her back to the grotto and she'd wake up in the morning, completely fine if not a little angry. Or maybe she'd wake up once they got back, Sirena said they needed sea water - canal wasn't sea water but the grotto pool was.

Moon Rings were dangerous but this wasn't one of those times. It wasn't. It was going to work out.

"Rita had it and Nixie knew what one it was," Sirena said.

The scars though - they'd shifted from pink to white in the time they'd been to Rita's and back. Thick white lines branched out from her chest, across the scales and going upwards to her shoulder and over her collarbone, down over her hip and circling around her side. Every golden scale where the scars cut across were bleached dead and white. Yet the edges of the scars were red and raw. Who was she kidding, Rita could wake up in the next second and it still wouldn't be fine, she'd be in pain and she'd be so scared. Nixie wrapped her arms tighter around Rita.

She might be a healer but she couldn't help Rita.

Rita was right, Moon Rings were dangerous.

"Did we do that?" Sirena asked quietly, looking at the scars.

"Well it happened when she got hit by a blast of energy sent out for a Moon Ring so I assume so," Nixie snapped. She didn't mean to snap at Sirena. She really shouldn't have snapped at Sirena. The whole point of having Sirena with her was to keep Sirena from going over the edge. She could've done this part herself. She just needed Sirena's Moon Ring.

"So what does that do exactly?" Cam asked from where he was crouched on the sand shaking and shivering. He had heaved himself from the water and flopped on the sand for a good few minutes before attempting to move.

Nixie removed one arm from around Rita and warmed Cam up, the way she'd done to Rita. He nodded at her in thanks and Nixie returned her arm to where it was, keeping Rita at the surface.

"It allows travel between two linked locations. You put some in the water where you want to go, and some in the water where you are. Use a Moon Ring to power it and you get there instantly," Nixie explained, paraphrasing the explanation Rita had given her when she caught Nixie going through all her potions.

* * *

_"Nixie? What are you doing?"_

_Nixie froze. She held the glass jar in mid air above where she took it out of the little chest on the table. She could just imagine the disapproving look on Rita's face._

_"Nothing?"_

_"Put that down," Rita instructed._

_Nixie relaxed her body and set the jar down, she stood up straight and turned around._

_"I was just looking, I didn't break anything."_

_"I should hope not. Some of these things are rare."_

_"How rare?"_

_Nixie stepped aside as Rita joined her beside the table with the collection of bottles stored neatly in their little chest._

_"This one," Rita picked out one filled with a shimmering yellow liquid, "is used for instant travelling between two places. There's only a handful of these left now and no one's making anymore."_

_"Why not?"_

_"There are better alternatives," Rita set the glass back beside an identical looking one, "for this to work there needs to be some at the location you're travelling too and the location you're travelling from. One bottle gets poured in where you want to go, one gets poured in where you are, you activate it with your powers and then a Moon Ring and it takes you to where the second bottle is."_

_"That makes no sense. Why was it designed like that?" Nixie asked._

_"The most common story I've heard was that during the war only Mermaids could make this stuff and had access to it. Since you needed this present where you're going it meant there were no Merman waiting and that it was a trap."_

_"Hmm," Nixie frowned. The logic was solid enough but there was no point in it. No point at all._

_"What about this one?" Nixie carelessly pulled out a long, thin phial with a dark red liquid in it. Nixie swirled the phial around, holding the top between her fingertips._

_"I'll take that," Rita held out her hand._

_Nixie dropped it into the Rita's hand and Rita put it away, tucked in the back corner of the chest, far from where Nixie pulled it out. The surrounding bottles clinked in protest._

_"Drop that and no one will be able to come in here for weeks."_

_"Why? What does it to?"_

_"Releases poisonous, hallucinogenic fumes."_

_"Awesome," Nixie grinned._

_"Not awesome. Dangerous."_

_Nixie rolled her eyes and pulled out a green one and held it up. "How about this one?"_

* * *

"A teleportation potion? That only works if you've been to where you need to go?" Cam asked.

"It's not commonly used anymore. It had a flawed logic."

"I'll say. So did you pour some in the water back … wherever you're going?"

"Lyla and Zac are there to do that," Sirena said.

Cam nodded. "So what now?" he asked.

Nixie opened the bottle and emptied the contents into the water. The yellow liquid swirled on the surface into a small whirlpool. Rita never mentioned that. Nixie thought it would just puddle on the surface, like the oil that land people dump.

"Woah," Cam breathed.

"Sirena can you use your powers on it?" Nixie asked, bringing both Cam and Sirena's attention back to what they were here to do.

"What do I do?" Sirena asked.

"Hold your hand out and direct your powers at it," Nixie instructeded. She probably should be doing this but the idea of letting someone else keep a hold of Rita didn't sit right. She was the only one not involved in creating the situation they were in now, she needed to stop anything else happening.

The liquid swirled faster and faster and tiny specks in the liquid began to glow.

"Sirena I need you to use your Moon Ring on it."," Nixie spoke calmly.

"I can't! I don't know what I'm doing. I can't do it."

"You can," Nixie reassured Sirena, "just breathe and imagine making it glow."

Sirena's Moon Ring glowed and the light from the potion shone brighter and brighter and waves were whipped around, hitting into the wooden supports of the dock and splashing Cam on the shore.

Then it stopped.

* * *

Cam was left alone under the dock. No Mermaids. No magic potions. No one but Cam. The bright land and blinded him and the waves had soaked him right through and when he'd opened his eyes again the Mermaids had been gone.

Cam stood up as tall as he could, pulled his mask back down and splashed into the water. He swam back down the way he came, ignoring the suspiciously shark-shaped dark shadow off in the water.

* * *

Nixie's head spun so violently it took her a second to realise where she was. She was in the grotto's pool, she was still holding Rita, Sirena was across from her. It worked.

"You did it," Nixie said to Sirena. Her voice was weaker than she expected, matching the shaking in her hands which she hid under the water.

"You actually did it," Lyla said. Nixie looked around, Lyla and Zac stood at the edge of the pool watching.

"Oh shit!" Zac exclaimed.

"What?" Sirena asked shakily, her voice was worse than Nixie's.

"She's bleeding."

Nixie looked down at Rita. Small drops of blood were leaking out from some of the harsh edges around the scars along her collarbone and chest. The ones on her side seemed alright for now. Nixie placed her hand over the bleeding and breathed out slowly. She may have inherited her mother's natural healing abilities but she wasn't well practised. There were only two other healers left in the Pod once her mother left - Veridia and the Pod's healer Kelpie. Both were on the council and both were too busy to train the younger ones.

She could handle small wounds though. Her hand began to tingle and her veins glowed a faint blue that pulsed once before fading away as the wounds on Rita's skin closed over.

"You stopped the bleeding," Zac breathed.

"Nixie's a healer," Sirena explained.

"Untrained," Lyla added, "but still a healer." That last part came out very grudgingly, Nixie could hear it in her voice.

"Make sure she keeps breathing," Nixie instructed and dragged herself out of the pool, letting Sirena keep Rita afloat in the water. She swallowed the lump that had grown in her throat when she wasn't paying attention, before reaching behind her and drying off. Now wasn't the time to let her emotions overwhelm her or fight back with Lyla. She was so tired, healing takes a lot of energy, but someone had to stay calm and take control.

Nixie stood as soon as she was able to and turned back around .

"So how do we do this?" Zac asked.

The plan in her head, and everyone's apparently, had been to get Rita out of the water and into the grotto. As long as she didn't get too dry she would be fine. It had been a good plan in her head, they could keep an eye on her and any bleeding wouldn't cause an issue, but now seeing how it would actually work out in the physical space - it wasn't such a good plan. The time it took for them to get her to the grotto could easily be enough to cause further damage with Rita drying out and they couldn't carry her without her being completely dry. Only one land person could help and he couldn't carry a Mermaid by himself.

"We don't," Nixie said, "we can't do it without help and Cam can't do everything. She'll be better in the water."

"Are you sure?" Sirena asked.

"Positive."

Negative. Negative. Negative.

* * *

**So chapter four is for the most part finished and ****I'm aiming for it to be up next week but I can't guarantee anything. It is more likely it won't be up but I'll see. Between starting college two days ago and working I'm honestly exhausted. It'll just take a couple weeks to get sorted out and then it's back on track. **

**I'll try not to leave it too long between chapters. **

**Until next time. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary: Nixie comes up with an idea and a past connection is revealed.**

* * *

Nixie's head spun as she turned away from the pool and stumbled up to the grotto. It hadn't worked. Their one single plan failed. Why wouldn't it? A little water doesn't just undo the damage from a Moon Ring.

It didn't register that she was followed until she reached the wooden banister of the grotto's upper level. Sirena slipped past her and sat down on the top of the stairs holding her knees to her chest.

"What do we do?" Sirena asked quietly.

"I think you've all done enough," Nixie snapped. She gripped the wooden railing in front of her, hiding her shaking hands. They'd messed up before but this was a new low. Mermaids don't hurt other Mermaids.

"It was an accident," Zac defended. Zac followed her too. And where Zac was, Lyla was. Which means they'd left Rita.

"It doesn't matter if it was intentional or not, we're still in this situation," Nixie said, pushing away from the railing and descending the stairs. "Rita's still unconscious and we still have no idea how to help her or if that scar needs any treatment because she's the only one who knows about all that stuff."

The only idea they'd come up with had failed. Maybe the Moon Pool would work but this was an immediate problem, the Full Moon wasn't for a while yet and they couldn't leave her like that. She hoped beyond anything that the Sea would've worked. Moon energy can cause irreparable damage. Who knows what harm had already been done?

"Are there any other Mermaids around that could help?" Zac asked.

"Sure, I've got a list of all their names," Nixie said snarkily, sitting down on the bench beside Poseidon. The cat stood and leapt off to the ground darting away. He didn't like her. He didn't like Lyla. He tolerated Sirena. Rita was the only one that cat actually liked.

"That isn't helping Nixie," Lyla snapped. They were always at each other's throats but this time, Nixie felt the edge. Lyla had neglected to tell her that she got the Moon Ring back from Zac until Nixie saw it on her finger. They were in this mess because of that Moon Ring and here Lyla was flaunting it in front of them all.

"The only other Mermaids are the Pod," Sirena answered, "and they're far away from here."

"Will they help?" Zac asked.

Nixie looked up at him, cowered in the corner, focusing only on Lyla. His eyes were wide and he was biting his lip. It was unusual seeing Zac like that, he always presented a confident front that appeared unshakeable. Almost killing someone is enough to shake anyone's confidence though.

"Why would they?" Lyla asked, "They cast us out, they cast her out. They don't care what happens to any of us."

Lyla was right. The Pod wouldn't care. But maybe there was one Mermaid who would, the Head of the Mermaid Council and leader of the Mako Pod - Veridia.

"Veridia might," Nixie voiced her thoughts. It was a far off chance, but Veridia might help, especially given what Rita told her.

* * *

_Nixie exhaled heavily into the silence of the grotto. She liked this corner, it was duller than the open centre, a small alcove cushioned with soft red cushions and blankets. She liked the painting on the wall, a pink and purple sky with a wave in the foreground crashing up against the cliff. It held the strong energy of the Sea but captured in a perfect still._

_The sliding noise of the bookcase door distracted Nixie. Please don't be Sirena. Or even worse Lyla. She didn't need to deal with them right now. She didn't really want to deal with Rita either, but Rita was definitely the better person to deal with. She understood being in a bad mood and wasn't hurt by it (like Sirena) or annoyed (like Lyla.)_

_"Nixie, I thought it was you."_

_It was Rita._

_"I brought you tea if you want some?"_

_Nixie scrunched up her nose. She didn't like tea. It tasted wrong. She liked the warm feeling it left in her belly but the taste was just … bad. Really bad._

_"I'll take that as a no."_

_Nixie kept her eyes on the wall, ignoring the slight clatter as something was set on the floor._

_"Do you want company?"_

_"Not really," Nixie shrugged, "I'm fine being alone and miserable. Besides no one likes being around unhappy people."_

_"I don't mind," Rita sat next to Nixie. Nixie glanced over at Rita before focusing her gaze back on the wall. "You can't give up Nixie."_

_"I already have. I know we're never going home, you don't have to keep up the act," Nixie didn't bother turning her head. The blank wall wasn't going to be looking at her disapprovingly. There wasn't any hope left at this point, surely she wasn't the only one who could see this?_

_"The Pod is gone and they're never coming back until we deal with Zac and we don't know how to do that," Nixie forced herself to look at Rita, "I know you believe me."_

_"I know that Veridia will not lift your banishment until Zac is … dealt with, but there is a way to do that. We'll find it."_

_Nixie rolled her eyes. There wasn't a way. There was never going to be a way. She just wanted someone to agree with her. She didn't want false hope._

_"If all else fails, you can always try and plead your case."_

_"Because Veridia will be so willing to listen to what we have to say," Nixie snapped. She didn't mean to snap. Rita was only being nice. She did that a lot lately. Snapped at people, like a shark. Her mind was a mess, a swirling whirlpool and sinking her teeth in was the only thing that could ground her._

_"She's not inhuman," Rita said. "I know how she comes across, believe me, I know exactly what she's like."_

_"Were you two friends?" Nixie asked cautiously. Rita referred to Veridia in an attitude much more casually than anyone else in the Pod would dare to. Veridia was terrifying. She had a very pointed glare, made worse by icy eyes. She wore authority like a crown. A crown that everyone respected whether Veridia was there or not._

_"We were."_

_"What happened?" Nixie winced slightly. It was obvious - Rita left the Pod. Nixie had lost her only other friend besides Sirena when she was cast out._

_"We were … together and then I left the Pod."_

_Nixie stared at Rita. That wasn't so obvious._

_"You and Veridia?"_

_"We were together for about eight years."_

_"The only real impression I have of her is being cast out of the Pod," Nixie hugged the cushion closer. "But I'm sure she was a great girlfriend," Nixie added sarcastically._

_Rita stood up without saying anything._

_"I'm sorry," Nixie inwardly winced. She really shouldn't have said that. She didn't mean to say it. She didn't know why she said it._

_"I can't make excuses or come up with reasons for what she did. All I know is that when I was with her she was a good person and I loved her. I know she can be a bitch, but I loved who she really was... and I miss her."_

_Nixie loosened her grip on the cushion._

_"I'm sorry," Nixie swallowed, "maybe I will have some tea?"_

_She took the cup Rita handed her and held it to her chest, letting the warmth seep into her. When she took a sip instead of the bitter leaves she'd been expecting, a sweet fruit taste washed over her tongue._

* * *

"Why would Veridia care?" Lyla asked, "she's the one who cast us out. It was probably her who cast Rita out."

"Veridia?" Zac looked up and glanced around them.

"Head of the Mermaid Council," Nixie explained, "her and Rita have a history, so Veridia might be willing."

"Do you really think she'll come all this way?" Sirena asked.

"What do you mean by history?" Lyla asked.

"It's a long shot," Nixie said, ignoring Lyla, "it's the longest shot. And it's our only shot."

"We don't know where the Pod are."

"I'll find them," Nixie assured. She could go and convince Veridia. She had nothing to lose, they weren't going back to the Pod anyways, she could say whatever she wanted and it wouldn't matter.

"You?" Lyla raised an eyebrow.

"I'll leave first thing tomorrow."

* * *

The grey morning waves matched the cloudy sky over Mako, the dull weather easily concealing the two Mermaids surfaced off the west shore of the island.

"You sure about this?" Sirena asked.

"Someone has to go," Nixie said. "It's better if it's me. You and Lyla make sure Rita's okay and that she keeps breathing. That's the most important thing right now. "

"We will," Sirena hugged Nixie, "come back soon."

"I'll be back later on," Nixie pushed back slightly and broke the embrace. She smiled at Sirena before turning away from her friend and ducking under the water. The Pod were somewhere in the open ocean, she just had to find them.

The Pod found her.

It only took a few hours. She'd been following the directions of two friendly dolphins she'd met not far from Mako and headed south into the open ocean. Nixie honestly thought it would've taken longer. She'd expected them to move further away from Mako. Granted, it was still a fair distance but most of the Pod, save the youngest hatchlings, could easily manage the swim to Mako if they wanted.

She had been spotted by one of the Pod's scouts, Meredith - a blonde Mermaid with a face as pale as the Moon but with a permanent surly expression carved into it.

Meredith found her as she drew near the Pod, and took her immediately before the Council. Not just the general council full of Mermaids with inflated self-importance, but the Higher Council, the Mermaids with real power - Cordelia, Misako, and Veridia

* * *

Meredith left, ducking under the water and disappearing, leaving Nixie alone with the Higher Council.

"What are you doing here?" Veridia asked, "Are your terms of banishment not clear enough?"

"We need your help," Nixie answered.

"You endangered the Pod and all of our kind," Cordelia stated, "Why would we help you?"

"This isn't about the Merman, or any of that." Nixie could feel her voice giving out. She didn't come all this way to face the Council who didn't seem to care about any of them. Cordelia had been the very first Mermaid who cared for Nixie and Sirena when they hatched, before she'd gotten her place on the Council. Seeing her now - cold and intimidating, was adding more weight on the already fragile state Nixie was in.

"Then what is it about?" Misako asked. Misako had the kindest face but the harshest voice, with dark eyes and dark hair to compliment her demeanour.

It's about Rita," Nixie paused trying to gauge Veridia's reaction. She didn't give anything away. The other two Council members were more telling; Cordelia looked to Veridia sharply and Misako whispered something to Veridia.

"I know you know her," Nixie begged, giving up on keeping it together, this wasn't the time to keep her composure, "she told me about you. She needs help and we don't know what to do."

"What happened?" Veridia asked. Was it just Nixie's imagination or she sound worried?

"She got hit by a blast of energy from a Moon Ring."

Veridia's eyes dropped down.

So it wasn't her imagination.

"What condition is she in?" Misako asked.

"She's unconscious and has these cut,mark things where she got hit. Please. We," Nixie sighed, "we don't know what to do. She can't, she can't die because of our mistake." Our mistake. She had nothing to do with it. She was just the cleaner sorting out the mess.

"An accident like that shouldn't kill her," Cordelia said softly, "she won't get any worse but without any intervention she won't improve."

"Which is why I will return to Mako with you," Veridia said to Nixie.

Cordelia and Misako looked sharply to Veridia.

"You can't leave this close to the Full Moon," Misako said.

"I'll be gone a few days at most," Veridia said, "I'll return before the Full Moon."

"You can't leave the Pod," Misako repeated.

"Misako is right. This is not the time to leave," Cordelia enforced.

"Leave us," Veridia directed to Nixie, "I'll find you once we've reached a decision."

Nixie nodded and turned away, diving under the water as she did so.

She found an empty clearing of rocks by the island the Pod had settled near. It was nothing like Mako. The trees covering the shores were all wrong and the water felt weird. Nixie swam into the warmer shallow waters amongst the rocks and waited, watching the land until tears blurred her vision. She let them fall down until the incoming tide covered her rocks and she was left treading water in the empty surface.

"Nixie?"

Nixie spun around to face Veridia. She was alone this time, no Cordelia or Misako shadowing her. Or anyone else. She'd been around the Pod's new island and hadn't seen anyone else beyond the Higher Council and Meredith. Where was Kai? Or Mimmi? Or even Ondina?

"Be ready to leave," Veridia said, "I have some matters to resolve with the Council and then we're leaving."

"Wait you're coming back to Mako?" Nixie asked.

"I am," Veridia said.

"Thank you," Nixie grinned, her first real smile in what felt like forever, "thank you so much!"

Veridia nodded slightly, "I'm not doing it for you."

She'd take it.

* * *

The swim to Mako was slower than Veridia would've liked, but Nixie had hardly any chance to take a rest after swimming to find the Pod. It wasn't fair on her. All the same, Veridia couldn't help but press on as fast as Nixie seemed to keep up with. They couldn't waste any time.

The feeling that crept up on her was not a nice one. It was fear and dread. Fear that maybe she was too late, and maybe just a bit about seeing Rita again. They hadn't seen each other in a long time, too long. She didn't want the first time she saw her again to be like this.

Victims of the kind of energy attack as Rita had an eerie resemblance to a corpse, and the longer they were under the worse it got. Moon Energy in such an intense blast caused the body to shut down. She didn't know if she could face seeing Rita like that. It was an easy enough fix though, as long as it was caught in time. The dread twisted against her stomach and her chest.

She never asked how long it had been since Rita got hit.

Maybe it was already too late.

As long as she kept breathing. Once she stopped breathing… it would be too late.

* * *

**Not gonna lie, not 100% happy with this chapter but I needed to get something posted. Hopefully the next chapter won't be far behind, from what I can remember it's not too far off being finished but right now finding time is hard. **

**I'm at college all day 4 days a week, half day one day a week. Then at night I'm either working, studying or too tired to do anything but lie in my bed and watch Hell's Kitchen on my phone. **

**I started my course three weeks ago, had my first assessment today, got my second one a week tomorrow and have my first project due in 5 weeks. **

**Anyways, hoped you enjoyed this chapter and I'll do my best to get the next one up soon. Updates may be slow but I'm not going to abandon this, I've written too much to just leave it.**

**Until next time. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Three months later I'm back with the next chapter.**

**Summary: Nixie returns from the Pod with Veridia and they work to reverse what happened.**

* * *

Nixie broke the surface first coming up in front of Sirena. The swim back had felt longer than the way there and more than once Veridia had had to slow down for her to catch up.

Sirena was in the water beside Rita, still floating motionless on her back, her normally tan skin was still so pale. Sirena's face broke into a smile when she saw Nixie. It fell slightly when Veridia surfaced beside Nixie, happiness replaced by surprise.

"Veridia," Sirena dropped her eyes and Nixie saw Sirena clasp her hands together under the water.

"Sirena, you can leave us now."

"Oh. Okay," Sirena moved forward in the water, ready to duck under.

"It's okay," Nixie reassured her.

Sirena nodded and disappeared under the water. Nixie felt the water around her fin move as Sirena swam past then still again so quickly.

This was why Veridia wasn't well liked. Her icy demeanor and pointed stare kept Mermaids at bay. Not to mention her … ruthless approach to issues

Nixie kept back and Veridia moved up beside Rita and took one of Rita's hands into her own.

"She's too cold," Veridia lifted her hand and placed it on Rita's forehead for second before removing it.

"Is that bad?" Nixie asked tentatively, "she's been like that since she got hit."

"Yes. How has her breathing been?"

Veridia placed her hand on Rita's chest.

Nixie looked away. "Fine, as far as I know. I made sure they kept an eye on it."

"Good. Her heart rate's okay," Veridia lifted her hand and slowly curled her fingers in, faint lines of blue glow snaking down the back of Veridia's hand and disappearing like ripples. Rita's skin glowed a light blue.

"What does that mean?"

"It's the energy from the Moon Ring," Veridia explained, "We need Moon energy but too much is dangerous. That glow, that means there's too much, which is… incredibly dangerous."

"It stops our bodies from working doesn't it?" Nixie asked. She remembered that from a class once. She didn't go often but when she did, she remembered everything. Including one very grim fact. "It can kill us can't it?" She'd been scared of that one fact, it had haunted over her since this whole thing started.

"It can do. Too much in one instant moment."

"That's not going to happen to Rita is it?" Nixie's voice quivered slightly and she swallowed thickly to hide it.

"If the initial hit didn't," Veridia paused slightly before continuing, "didn't kill her, then it's unlikely."

"But it could happen?" Nixie pressed.

"Yes. How long has she been like this?" Veridia glanced at Nixie.

"Since yesterday," Nixie replied. The relief that shot through her as Veridia visibly untensed was like nothing else she'd felt before.

"As long as she wakes up soon - she should be alright, but recovery will be long."

"There's not an instant fix?"

Nixie had hoped it would've been. Then it could just be over with. Everyone could move on. They could get back to figuring out how to remove Zac's powers and what to do about the Trident.

"No," Veridia said, "especially not with a wound that serious."

Nixie curled her bottom lip in and stared at the water's surface.

"Who's Moon Ring was it?"

"Hmm?" Nixie looked up.

"The Moon Ring she got hit with, who's was it?" Veridia asked.

"It was one the Merman found out on the reef somewhere."

"The Merman's involved in this?" Veridia's mood darkened, going from concern to pure anger.

"No," Nixie answered quickly, "not completely. It was Sirena and Lyla who activated it with their powers. Zac helped us. If Zac hadn't helped us then land people would've seen Rita's tail. He helped her."

"So it was Sirena and Lyla who did this?"

"It was an accident," Nixie sagged. She'd just thrown Sirena to the sharks. And everyone else too.

"So why did you come to get help and not them?"

Good point. Nixie easily could've sent Lyla or Sirena to ask for help, Sirena would've loved the chance to see Aquata and Aquata could've helped plead to the Council. Truthfully Nixie had wanted to go. She needed to get away before she tore into Lyla or snapped at Sirena. And there was the matter of what Rita told her. Nixie hadn't even mentioned their conversation to anyone. It almost felt like a betrayal to tell anyone else, it was meant to stay quiet, a secret.

If she'd been a coward Nixie would've turned tail and sped off out of there, away from Veridia's accusations and ice cold stare, and hide out until Veridia decided to leave. If she decided to leave.

"They don't know about any of the stuff I know about," Nixie said.

Veridia looked at her sharply, that icy stare getting colder by the second. Nixie half expected the water to start freezing over, like when Lyla and Sirena made in snow inside. Those two really shouldn't be trusted with Moon Rings. Yet they were the two that currently had Moon Rings.

"What do you know?"

"Not much," Nixie answered truthfully. "Just that you two were together. That's all I know, it's all she said. She was actually defending you so… that's … something..." Nixie trailed off and curled her lips inwards, biting down on them. She definitely should've stopped talking much earlier in that sentence. She rambled when she was nervous sometimes.

"That's why you came."

"Yeah," Nixie said, "plus I'm the favourite so I know Rita would've sent me if she... could've…"

Veridia smiled at that.

"I need your help with this next part," Veridia said.

"What do you need me to do?"

"I need another Moon Ring. The one you found, where is it?"

Lyla had it on, nestled on her finger. Where Lyla was though, she had no idea. Probably with Zac.

Rita had a Moon Ring though. Hidden in a shell case in one of the alcoves in the grotto.

"I'll have a look."

"Be quick."

* * *

Nixie pulled out the shell case and opened it up. One Moon Ring sat inside. Nixie took it out and closed her fist around it. The stone was cool against her skin but the threat of it's power burned.

She took the steps down to the pool two at a time and tripped on the last one. She stopped herself from falling face first into the water but Veridia's disapproving look was enough to confirm the mishap hadn't gone unnoticed by the pod leader.

"Got a Moon Ring."

"Good."

Nixie sat on the edge of the pool and slipped into the water, shifting from legs to tail before surfacing.

"Hold the Moon ring out, don't put it on," Veridia instructed.

Nixie swallowed and held the Moon Ring between her thumb and her finger. She could feel the power fizzing inside it even through the band.

Veridia held her hand out above Rita's chest and the glowing blue became visible again. This time instead of releasing, Veridia pulled her hand up and sparks of blue energy formed in the air beneath Veridia's hand.

The sparks became more numerous and began forming into strands that twisted around into a small ball of glowing energy.

"Hold it out further."

Nixie stretched her arm out as far as she could as Veridia pulled the ball of energy away from Rita, the blue suddenly vanishing from her skin. Veridia guided the energy over to the Moon Ring held in Nixie's outstretched hand.

"Be ready," Veridia said.

"I am."

Veridia relaxed her hand, splaying her fingers out and the energy flowed into the Moon Ring. The force of the energy swirling into the ring was stronger than anything Nixie had felt before, far more powerful than anything Nixie could control. Veridia made it look as easy as conjuring a water ball.

Nixie relaxed her hand and her arm dropped into the water with a bigger splash than she expected. Her arm was so heavy, like stone.

"She should be okay now," Veridia had her back turned to Nixie, looking over Rita. The Mermaid was still unconscious. "She'll wake up on her own and then I can see if there's any further injuries. Did you check for any other injuries?"

"No," Nixie wiggled her arm under the water, "we just saw the scar burn thing and freaked out. Is there anything you can do for that?"

"Not right now. There's nothing I can do until I know the extent of the injury. It's not causing any further harm at the moment, so we'll leave it until she's awake."

Nixie nodded. She didn't know what to say.

Veridia turned back around the face Nixie.

"Can I see that ring?"

"I don't know if this is the one that injured her or not," Nixie handed it back over to Veridia, holding it out in her fingers. Of course it wasn't. Lyla had it.

Veridia took the ring from Nixie and studied it.

"This is her Moon Ring," Veridia said, "she doesn't wear it anymore." That last part wasn't directed at her. Nixie didn't ask how she knew. She wanted to; Moon Ring designs had always fascinated her, the differences between them, but this wasn't the time.

"Would it have made a difference if she had been wearing it?" Nixie asked instead.

"I don't know. Maybe."

Nixie looked down at the water. Her skin was tinted pink under the surface. Nixie wrinkled her face. The water shouldn't be pink. Little swirls of darker pink, almost red danced through the water. Nixie raised her eyes, following the were trails of blood. Blood pouring from the wounds on Rita's chest and shoulder. Nixie eyes went wide.

"She's bleeding."

This wasn't the small cuts like last time, that Nixie could fix with her minimal healing. This time every tiny lightning branch had ruptured and the blood flowed out free as the waves.

* * *

**Sorry for the delay, college is insane. So many tests, so many project drafts, so many projects and homework, having to work weeends at college on top of my part time job and all that. I've not had much motivation to write the last few months but I've gotten motivated again. **

**Chapter six hopefully won't be too far behind but I'm not making any promises. **

**Until next time, hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll be back with chapter six. **


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter is a bit shorter than the others but here it is, enjoy!**

**Summary: Nixie and Veridia race to stop the bleeding in time.**

* * *

"Help me get her out of the water," Veridia instructed.

Nixie clumsily dove to the side to reach the edge of the pool and gripped the ledge. It took three attempts to get enough propulsion to get herself out. Her arm was still stiff and her entire body was shaking, two things which did not help.

By the time she got herself up and facing the pool again, Veridia had Rita sitting up, leaning against her, the blood turning scales red.

Between the two of them they got her out of the water. Nixie had pulled the Mermaid out of the water while Veridia helped lift her tail.

The blood. There was so much of it. The bright red seeping into the cracks in Nixie's skin made her stomach turn.

"Find something to stop the bleeding," Veridia instructed from the water.

Nixie just nodded and dried herself off. She tried to will her legs to move faster but they were shaking uselessly. She gripped the wall of the tunnel and she forcefully picked her feet up the stairs. She was tired. The long swim and exertion of everything took its toll.

Nixie stumbled round into the grotto. There was stuff here somewhere. What was it land people used, a towel? Mermaids don't use towels.. Bleeding gets stopped with sea sponges. Where would they be…? Nixie trudged forward along the upper level of the grotto, leaning against the wall for support.. All the potions stuff was here. Healing stuff should be too.

She collapsed to her knees at the potions table. There were chests under here. Nixie dragged the first one out and pried open the lid. Empty glass bottle things. She shoved it to the side and pulled out the next one. Strips of sea sponge, kelp wraps, seaweed poltices. Perfect. Nixie grabbed as many as she could and hauled herself to her feet, almost overbalancing in the process.

Her stupid legs were still shaking and no matter how much she willed them to move faster, they wouldn't listen. The most she could do was teeter, like some stupid land person in those heeled shoes.

She rounded the corner to where she'd left Rita and Veridia. There was blood all over the stone, blood all over Rita and Veridia's hands. Veridia was now out of the water with Rita's head resting on her… legs.

"I found these," Nixie held out the bundle of sea sponge.

Veridia nodded, "Hold them against the wounds, apply a lot of pressure."

Nixie set the bundle down and kneeled down beside Rita. Her skin had been pale before but this was a new shade of white, paler than bone. Veridia took strips of sea sponge from the pile and pressed them down heavily over the bleeding. Nixie copied her, trying to stop the wounds on Rita's shoulders from bleeding.

"Pass the rest of it," Veridia instructed. Nixie handed the rest of the bundle over. Veridia pressed them onto the bleeding wounds, then lifted her hand and flexed her fingers. All the sponge pressed downwards.

"I need you to get bandaging supplies Nixie. Rita has some doesn't she?"

Nixie just nodded and stumbled back up to her feet. The cave spun violently around her. Bandages, bandages, bandages.

"Nixie?"

"Hmm?" Nixie spun back around.

"I need you to do this quickly."

Nixie nodded and trudged back up the grotto on useless legs. She hated them. They were so stupid. Why have legs if they don't work?

The face that greeted her in the grotto was less than happy. A sullen Lyla with crossed arms and a disapproving look.

"What's up with you?" Lyla asked.

"Need bandage stuff," Nixie leaned heavily against the was blood on her knees. When did that get there? Her hands she knew about, the blood tracks on the wall where she'd gripped the stone gave that away.

"Why? Why are you covered in blood? What's going on?"

"Rita's bleeding. Just get the stuff."

Lyla ran up the stairs from the bottom level far more easily and far faster than Nixie could've.

"Where are they?"

"Under table, chest with sea sponges in it. The top's open."

Nixie rested her head against the wall just for a second and let her eyes close.

"I've got the stuff."

Nixie opened her eyes. Lyla stood in front of her with bandages in her arms. Nixie held out her hands to take them.

I'll help," Lyla kept the stuff from Nixie's outstretched hands.

"Mmm-mm," Nixie shook her head, "Veridia's annoyed at you. I got it."

"Veridia's here? She actually came?"

Nixie nodded and held out her arms again. Lyla passed her the stuff and wordlessly Nixie turned and left.

She managed a faster walk back down and dumped the stuff next to Veridia before collapsing.

"Nixie, you have to get up. I need your help. You can rest after."

* * *

Nixie couldn't remember much after shuffling over on her knees and holding out kelp wraps. She woke up in the grotto pool, the water sparkling clean, and a concerned Sirena looking over her.

* * *

**Two chapters in the same week. This is the most productive I've been in a while. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and i'll be back with the next one. It will probably be a bit longer before the next chapter's ready but i'll get it done. **

**Until next time :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Three chapters in a week. This has to be a record for me.**

**Summary: ****Nixie wakes up and Zac is struggling**

* * *

Nixie couldn't remember much after shuffling over on her knees and holding out kelp wraps. She woke up in the grotto pool, the water sparkling clean, and a concerned Sirena looking over her

Confusion hit her as soon as she woke. Water. Cave. But not the Moon Pool. She always slept in the Moon Pool. Why wasn't she in the Moon Pool?

"Nixie you're awake!"

Sirena was around her, embracing her in a hug before Nixie could respond.

Nixie stayed awake long enough to find out how Rita was doing before passing out again, slipping under the water and having to be pulled up by Sirena.

The next time she woke up, Sirena was asleep in the water across from her. Nixie rested in the water for a little while before quietly dragged herself out of the water. She slowly dried herself off, the warmth warding off the nighttime chill in the cave. She didn't feel it in the water, but on land it was another story.

Nixie got to her feet, her legs holding this time and crept into the grotto. Her legs were actually working again and there was no need to grip the bloodstained walls. The smears she'd left as she dragged her away up before were dried into the wall as dark stains. She'd clean that before Rita saw, the other Mermaid was very particular about things being neat and tidy.

The lights were off the grotto, save for one lamp on the upper level. It gave out minimal light but a Mermaid's eyes can see in the dark as well as land people do in the light.

Rita was lying on her back on the stone bench, a blanket draped over her and kelp wrap visible above the neckline of her t-shirt. She was still pale but the deathly white shade had become a very slightly healthier colour.

"I'm glad to see you've recovered."

Nixie jumped at the sudden disruption of the quiet. She hadn't noticed Veridia sitting on the bench.

"How is she?" Nixie asked, swallowing down the fright.

"Better than last time you saw her," Veridia answered, "there's not much improvement but she'll be okay."

Finally. It was going to be fine.

"When will she wake up?"

"Shouldn't be more than a few hours. Once she's awake I can work out the full extent of the damage that wounds done. It's deep but I can't tell how deep until I see how much it affects her movement."

Nixie nodded and clamped her jaws together to stop yawning. She was so tired. How was Veridia still up? Using healing abilities were draining, plus whatever that energy moving thing Veridia did had to have been taxing.

"Go back to sleep Nixie."

"Mm, I'm fine."

"Nixie."

Veridia sounded so much like Rita. It was the way she said it, the 'do-as-you're-told-or-else' tone that made her admit defeat. Nixie sighed and trudged out. Rita would be fine, Veridia was there.

* * *

Lyla surfaced in the grotto pool beside a half-awake Sirena. So that's where they were. She'd gone out to the Moon Pool but found no one and a search of the reef revealed no one either.

"Where have you been?" Sirena asked sleepily.

"I was out a swim, then went to Mako but you guys weren't there." If it had been Nixie, Lyla would have carefully added just a touch of accusing to her tone. Where was Nixie? Sirena was never far from Nixie, especially after the Pod left.

"We stayed here. You were gone all day."

"I went to see Zac but he wasn't there. Plus I didn't want to run into Veridia, Nixie said she wasn't happy."

"She wasn't," Sirena agreed and nodded.

"Where is Nixie?" Lyla asked.

"I'm here," Nixie yawned and came down off the staircase into the pool cave.

"Where have you been?" Sirena asked.

"Seeing Rita."

"How is she?"

"Still out but Veridia said she should wake up tomorrow."

Sirena smiled happily.

"She'll be fine," Nixie said as she sat on the edge of the pool.

Lyla exhaled and relaxed back against the stone. It was all fine. Everything would be over tomorrow.

* * *

It was all bullshit.

Why was he here? Why had he bothered to drag himself into school?

Cam kept asking him a million questions that he had no answer to, Evie hardly said more than a word to him since the lunch and Carly was firmly on Evie's side. Only David sat in the middle smiling away and trying to keep the peace.

It wasn't working. So Zac gave up and did something he never did - went to class early. It was only when he reached the room did he remember who's class it was. He went to turn away but one of the Maths teachers Mr Jones pounced and Zac found himself handing out workbooks and giving stiled replies to Mr Jones' questions about his weekend. Apparently Mr Jones was taking their class today.

When he woke first thing he tried to convince himself that maybe he'd go in at R - Principal Santos would be in. Maybe she'd call him up and give him a lecture about being more careful with the Mermaid, well Merman in his case, secret.

He'd take the lecture over the drivel of Spanish class without a teacher. The teacher was meant to be Principal Santos, but Mr Jones was dragged into covering the class when Principal Santos never turned up, much to everyone's surprise. She wasn't known for just not turning up.

It probably hadn't occurred to the Mermaids that someone would need to explain why Rita was missing from normal human- things. Lyla said the Pod Leader had arrived and that she'd done something but Zac hadn't heard anything since. Lyla hadn't been very talkative that last time. He hadn't seen Sirena or Nixie since he left that cave under Rita's house. Maybe she was okay now and would come back tomorrow, he'd get that lecture and they'd have a proper Spanish teacher again.

Zac stared at the page in front of him until the words blurred and his eyes burned. Mr Jones droned on, his monotonous voice doing nothing to capture anyone's man couldn't understand a word of Spanish beyond 'sí' or 'gracias' which helped exactly nobody when they had a written test next week.

What did it matter anyways, there were more important things to worry about than what noun to use.

* * *

That night, when Zac couldn't sleep he slipped out his boatshed and crept across the garden, the bone dry grass stabbing the soles of his feet. He stood at the edge of the dock, ready to dive off, he swung his arms and then dropped them.

The water usually invited him, the ripples and waves were Siren calls and the Moon's light made everything feel just right, like he belonged. Tonight he felt he was banished to the land. So he sat on the hard wooden dock instead and watched the Moon's reflection on the water's surface.

He was staring off down the canal when he saw a shadow under the moonlight.

Lyla.

She had her head above the surface in the canal hardly a foot in front of him,.

"What are you doing here?" Zac checked over his shoulders, sweeping from side to side to make sure no one had sneaked up behind him without him hearing.

"I came by earlier but you weren't here."

"I was at school. Everyone was wondering where Rita was."

Lyla's eyes dropped. "She's not woken up yet."

"Oh."

"Veridia said she'd wake up soon though."

Soon. Soon was fine. Soon was better than never. How soon was soon? It was two days already since the Moon Ring incident.

"That's … good."

"Yeah," Lyla turned and looked over her shoulder as a dark fin slipped below the surface behind her. Another bull shark. There had been more and more recently.

"They shouldn't be in this close to the shore," Lyla said.

"Why are they in so close?"

"I don't know. Something's pushing them in closer."

"Are you...safe in the water?" He'd never had any problems with sharks but that was in the open ocean, not an enclosed canal.

"They don't bother me, but I should head to Mako. Nixie gets grumpy if anyone wakes her up."

"Okay."

Lyla vanished as quickly as she appeared.

* * *

**Two Days Later**

A few hours. That's what Veridia had said. 'Shouldn't be more than a few hours.' Nixie had believed her, but now it had been two days. Two days of waiting and waiting and waiting. Two days of watching as everyone's hopes drained. Two days of Veridia forcing her to eat and take breaks and to go and make sure Sirena was okay.

Veridia had hardly left Rita's side. How she hadn't collapsed of exhaustion was beyond Nixie. The last two days were stressful. Lyla was never there, Sirena kept crying, Nixie was strung out and still Rita never woke up.

At least the cuts had stopped bleeding. Nixie helped Veridia with the bandages and after the first night, there was no blood. Veridia had put this pink cream over the cuts and for a second Nixie could've sworn Rita had flinched but when there was no other sign of movement, she chalked it up to her imagination, that, and desperation.

* * *

**I have too much motivation for this, not enough for my coursework. Have a final project due in on Wednesday, but won't get my first draft back until Tuesday. Also got a fist draft due in on Thursday, of which I've done hardly anything. And there's a test on Monday. Yay. Not. **

**Anyways, next chapter shouldn't be too far behind, I'm hoping to have it up before the end of the year**


	8. Chapter 8

**It's been over a month but I'm back with chapter eight. Enjoy!**

**Summary: Zac visits the grotto and things take a downwards turn.**

* * *

The sun rose, the sun set, the moon rose, the moon set and the sun came up again.

All of which Veridia only knew because other people told her.

Time didn't pass the same down in that cave. She turned the lights off when she knew it was night but it never felt like it was. Without the natural waking and sleeping of the world with each wave of the ocean, she was stuck in a timeless void.

If she left Rita's side, it was never for more than a few minutes. To force herself to eat, to get new kelp wraps, to make a pain-easing cream. She changed Rita's bandages each day; the wounds were closing, scabbing over more each day.

The Mermaid had moved occasionally, a slight flinch here, and the odd shift in her breathing, but she gave no indication of waking up.

Her recovery was never going to be quick but it shouldn't be taking this long. It varied from a day to three days at the very most. The last two cases she'd witnessed had seen the victims awaken the same day as the Moon Energy was taken away. They'd received immediate treatment though. Rita hadn't. Rita had been left for a day first.

Veridia had to leave soon. The Full Moon was only three days away and she swore to return before then. But that was when they thought this would be a simple fix. Her Pod had to come first though,such was the way of her place at the head of the council. Duty comes first. As soon as Rita woke up, she'd leave.

A voice in her head kept telling her she wouldn't though. She wouldn't leave straight away. She wouldn't be able to bring herself to leave right away. If she couldn't even leave Rita to get a proper rest, how could she leave to return to the Pod?

It would be night soon. Nixie had said she'd stay up and let Veridia sleep.

But something in the very front of her mind wouldn't let her sleep. Whenever she tried she was reminded of her first Moon Ring 'Electrocution' case - the one where the victim never woke up. Adrielle slept from the day she got struck, to the night her body turned to seafoam under the full moon.

Veridia heard the hitch in Rita's breathing and the slight whimper as she moved. This time it wasn't just a flinch that could've been her mind playing a trick or a misbreath that could've just been her hearing things that weren't there. Veridia _saw_ her shift slightly onto her side, the uninjured one.

Veridia placed her hand over Rita's.

"It's okay. You're okay," Veridia said softly and stroked her thumb over the back of Rita's hand.

Her breathing settled again, but Veridia didn't let go of her hand. It was a gesture of normality amongst the chaos of the last few days. She'd wake up soon and then everything would be fine.

It was just a waiting game. One more second and it could be over.

Until the seconds stretched to the minutes.

And the minutes become hours.

Then hours join up and soon it's another day gone and nothing's changed.

In the worst way possible, there was nothing quite like watching someone you love suffering.

And the waiting made it so much worse.

* * *

Zac peered round the edge of the grotto doorway. Last time he'd come here the council Mermaid had been there and Lyla had frantically shooed him away before the Mermaid could turn and see him. He hadn't been back since. That had been three days ago, the day Lyla came to visit him at night in the canal.

It felt like he was a killer, visiting a surviving victim. Or at least how he'd imagined a killer would feel. The sour guilt. The disinterest in food. The way sleep evaded him as all he could think about what he did.

This time, it was only Nixie in the grotto. Well Nixie and Rita, but the latter wouldn't know if he was there or not. Taking a breath, Zac stepped into the grotto and Nixie's head immediately snapped round. She relaxed only slightly when she saw it was him.

"What do you want?"

For this to be over. For this to never have happened. To stop feeling like shit.

"I just came to see how Rita was?"

"No change."

"Oh," Zac put his hands in his pockets, "that's not good."

"Really? And here I was thinking it was fantastic," Nixie retorted. There was a shake in her voice.

"Are you okay?" Zac asked.

"I'm perfect. Now if there's nothing else, you know where the door is."

Zac wrinkled his brows. Nixie had been on the cold side towards him since 'the Moon Ring incident' but this was full on Ice Age.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Everything is fine. We're never going back to the Pod. The Council will permanently banish us. Rita's never going to wake up. Everything's perfect."

"Wait what you do mean never going to wake up? She'll be fine, you said she'll be fine. She has to be fine."

Killer. Killer. Killer.

"So did we. But according to Veridia if she doesn't wake up soon, she won't. The longer she's out the less likely she is to wake up."

Killer. Killer. He held that ring out so tauntingly. He thought it was so funny how the Mermaids scrambled to get it back.

It wasn't funny now.

Zac lifted his eyeline to meet Nixie but the Mermaid had her head down looking at Rita.

"Has she shown any signs of waking up?"

"Just go Zac," Nixie's voice was thick and strained. The voice of someone on the verge of tears.

"Bu-"

"Go."

So he left.

He turned on his heel, walked as calm as he could out of the grotto, then once he was out into the corridor he bolted down the stairs, throwing himself into the water when his foot missed a step and he fell, the full force of his weight slamming into the water like concrete.

* * *

Sirena took a seat near Evie's shop and looked around hoping to catch a glimpse of David. He'd been her saving grace these past few days, his sweet nature made him believe the best in her and being around him helped her forget that horrid wiggly feeling in her stomach that bothered her whenever she thought about what had happened. Being around David helped her forget what had happened. And for that she was grateful.

It was her powers that activated the Moon Ring. She was behind it. And Rita was still unconscious with those cuts all across her. Sirena hadn't seen the wound since Rita had been changed back into human form and moved into the grotto under Veridia's care. Only Veridia had treated the wound and only Veriida knew how bad it really was. And she wasn't saying anything.

Sirena was scared of being around Veridia. The Pod leader was was intimidating enough and she that that air of authority that kept Mermaids under her control. Sirena couldn't handle sitting in the grotto in the silence with Veridia who refused to leave.

"Sirena?" Evie appeared in front of her, breaking Sirena's thought, "you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Sirena flashed the smile that usually convinced everyone everything was okay.

It didn't convince Evie.

"You don't look good," Evie took the seat beside Sirena," is this about your aunt?"

Zac had passed onto Lyla that they needed a believable excuse to explain Rita's absence from land school. They ended up going with the simplest - illness. It seemed to have spiralled though, with Zac reporting back saying people thought it was something serious like a disease called 'cancer.'

Sirena just nodded in response. She didn't want to talk about this, she came away to see David and forget about this.

"How is she?" Evie asked softly.

For a second Sirena just wanted to break and tell Evie everything - Zac was a Merman, they were Mermaids, that pretty ring Zac got her was a secret Mermaid power source and they used it to hurt Rita and now she was unconscious with little hope of ever waking up again.

She resisted and felt tears burn in her eyes. They hurt more on land. In the sea, the water washes them away, on land you're forced to feel the pain of the hurt.

"Not much better."

"I'm sorry, I imagine it's hard on you and your cousins."

"Thank you Evie."

"If you need anything, I'm here," Evie rested her hand on Sirena's shoulder for a brief moment before standing up and leaving Sirena to her stomach churning and wriggling and tears breaking free.

* * *

Veridia waited until Nixie left before taking out fresh kelp wraps and that soft gauze stuff she found. The younger Mermaid had been quiet and distracted and left easily on her own will without protesting, a dramatic change from the day before.

It was hard to know what to say, Veridia was wrapped up in her own head enough it was hard knowing how to comfort the Mermaids who were little more than hatchlings. They were here because she made the final decision about leaving them behind while the Pod left.

Maybe is she hadn't left them then this wouldn't have happened. She wouldn't be here, sitting on land with her skin starting to dry, looking after the Mermaid who broke her heart.

Veridia eased the blanket down and let the pooled fabric rest on Rita's legs before undoing the buttons of the shirt. She'd gotten Nixie to find a better top that the one Rita had been wearing, it made treating her wounds too … difficult.

Her hands shook slightly as she undid the last button and pulled the fabric down off Rita's right shoulder and the right side of her body. Veridia left the sleeve on the right covering Rita's lower arm. Goosebumps rose over the flashes of exposed skin between the bandages.

Green bands of kelp covered the majority of her torso, reaching from her hip right up to her shoulder, and down her upper arm stopping just above her elbow. More strips covered her collarbones and the lower portion of her neck.

Veridia set about unwrapping the kelp, starting at Rita's neck and working down. She tossed the old wraps to the ground and removed the gauze underneath. The wounds, like burns, were like lightning strikes all across her skin. The worst of the cuts had scabbed over, those across her chest, above her hip and over her shoulder. The smaller ones jagging over her collarbone and those at the very end of the forks had healed over in pink lines.

It was progress. Treating injuries like these could be complicated, for every progression there was certain to be some degree of recession. Veridia had applied various healing salves and creams to minimise that damage the best she could.

At last there was some result.

There had been no sign of any infections, no new bleeds and little sign of any deep damage.

Veridia carefully wiped over the wounds with a soft pad of sea sponge, holding the sponge with her powers to prevent herself turning to tail. She cleaned the wounds and removed the water waiting for Rita to get her legs back before laying fresh gauze over the scabs and wrapping fresh bandages over the top.

All she needed now was for Rita to wake up and everything would on track.

* * *

_The water was wrong. It was too still. There were no current, not even the smallest shift. And where were the waves? Even hatchlings can feel the echoes of the waves from below the surface._

_The water was never ending. As far as she could see in any direction was just a void of empty blue fading to black. _

_There was nothing here. Nothing living anyway. Nothing swims in water like this. Only dead things dwell in the voids._

* * *

The tension, or Nixie supposed maybe tenison was too strong a word for whatever it was - awkwardness maybe? The awkwardness hung tense in the air. Sirena had gone to leave when Veridia came back but Nixie had put her arm around the blonde mermaid and kept her in place. Constantly running from Veridia was not the way to make things any better and if Nixie had to be honest - she wanted Sirena there for her own comfort, to keep herself calm.

When it was her and Veridia the mood wasn't tense but Nixie got the feeling she was only being tolerated. It wasn't a nice feeling.

Nixie let her eyes rest of Rita. The unconscious Mermaid had regained some colour in her skin, the ghostly 'dead' hue had brightened to a shade of living pale. The dark green of the kelp wraps did nothing to help though, the stark contrast only emphasizing the long recovery ahead.

The kelp wraps covered Rita's entire shoulder and reached down to her elbow and under the thin shirt and blanket there were more wraps covering the wounds - exactly how spread out they were she didn't know. Only Veridia knew the full extent of the external damage.

It took her a minute. Something didn't look quite right and it took her longer than she wanted to notice what it was.

Then she noticed it.

"She's not breathing," Nixie said.

* * *

Veridia didn't stop to think, she just reacted, dropping to her knees, grabbing Rita's wrist and pressing her fingers to the pulse point.

There was a pulse. It was weak but it was there. She was still alive. Veridia placed her lips over Rita's and ignored the tingling that was most definitely not from the healing magic passing between them.

Veridia pulled away and Rita took a shaky breath in.

"Make sure she keeps breathing," Veridia stood up and brushed off her skirt. She needed to leave, get away from Sirena and Nixie's watching and to get away from the Mermaid she still so clearly had feelings for.

* * *

The_ void lightened until it was like swimming in the soft coral seas around the island. The crushing isolation of the dark depths lifted and the lead weight on her chest dissipated. _

_The water seemed to have a surface now. Rays of light pierced in from above and it called like a Siren's song. _

_She went towards it._

* * *

**I'm back with another chapter, sorry it took a while college has been hectic. Semester two started this week so the last couple weeks has been getting all the classes that are semester one only finished up and handed in. I've been writing when I can though and the next chapter is about halfway there.**

**Until next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A week later, I'm back, don't ask how cause I don't know. No sleep and caffiene I think.**

**Summary: Things seem to look up, but when is anything as it seems?**

* * *

The first time Rita woke up was something she couldn't remember exactly. There were feelings of stinging pain and light but she couldn't place anything for certain.

It was disconcerting, to say the least. It was all rolling darkness, with occasional lifts, accompanied with pain. Burning pain that tore across her whenever she managed to shift.

It was lonely. She was dimly aware that there was someone there, but they were like a ghost, disappearing when she tried to focus on them.

The darkness eased off again, like a blanket being pulled away, and Rita could finally think to move. She tried to move onto her side but the pain, tearing and burning that dragged across her chest was enough to stop her.

She couldn't understand the pain. Why was it there? Why was she hurting? She just wanted it to stop.

That was the one good thing about those stretches of blankness; she couldn't feel anything.

Sometimes feeling nothing was the best thing.

* * *

Yet another morning broke out and Zac dragged himself from his bed and blearily set about the morning routine. Another day of life at Suncoast High, another day of hearing the rumours about Ms Santos' illness, rumours that grew wilder each day. All the while Zac sat there knowing the full truth and feeling the weight of it grow ever heavier.

He forced the demons out during the walk to school by blasting music over his earplugs and focusing on the lyrics. He didn't dare think about how many more days he could be doing this. He didn't want to think about how long this heavy feeling would press on him and how many nights he would struggle to sleep knowing what he had caused.

It was eating him alive.

Everyday Cam asked how things were. Everyday Zac had to tell him he still didn't know. Everyday Evie eyed him suspiciously. Everyday Zac had to lie to her.

It would be so much easier to just tell her everything.

But then could he really afford that risk? And not just to him, to the other Mermaids. Like it or not, he was tied to them and right now they all had one big shared trauma.

And it was all his fault.

The murk lifted and she could breathe again, just like surfacing from a dive. The water parted and she was finally able to open her eyes to the light.

Someone was beside her, a hand was placed on hers. She was in the grotto, that much she could see; the smooth sandstone ceiling, the chandelier. They vanished as her eyes drifted shut.

She woke what felt like only seconds later, her point of view shifted. She was looking into the grotto now, at the 'someone' beside her, a Mermaid with copper blonde hair and the most beautiful eyes in the oceans. She sat with her head down, hair partially obscuring her face.

"Veridia," Rita's voice came out a little more than a whisper, her throat was so dry she was surprised she could even make a sound.

Even still Veridia heard her. Her head snapped up and her face, so tense and serious, broke into a smile that lit up her whole face and made her eyes shine so brightly.

"Hey."

"This isn't real," Rita couldn't stop her eyes beginning to drift shut again. It was a dream, she'd wake up again and Veridia would be gone. Veridia was with the Pod. The Pod was far away from here. This couldn't be real. Veridia wouldn't have come here.

"It is. I'm here. I'm really here." Veridia laced her fingers into Rita's. Shs missed that. A simple gesture that always made her feel safe. Veridia always made her feel safe.

_The mind plays such cruel tricks_ was her last thought before she gave into her tired eyes and let the wave of darkness wash over again.

* * *

The intense relief Veridia felt at seeing Rita's awake couldn't compare to anything she'd ever felt. It was like the ice melted and she felt free to move again and the tears - she couldn't stop them.

They were tears of happiness. Tears that she didn't even bother to wipe away as Nixie entered the grotto with a tray. Nixie had taken to bringing food in for her to make sure she actually ate.

Nixie's face fell as she saw Veridia, tears streaming down her face.

"What's wrong?" Nixie asked.

"Nothing, nothing's wrong," Veridia hurriedly assured the Mermaid, "she woke up."

The tray in Nixie's hands crashed to the ground as Nixie's body sagged. The mermaid looked close to collapsing.

"Really?"

Veridia nodded, "really."

"How is she?" Nixie asked, slowly moving to come down the stairs, gripping the railing until she ran out of wood to hold.

"She was only awake for a few seconds but she spoke."

Veridia didn't think Nixie could smile any wider.

"So she'll be okay?"

"There's still a way to go but I think she will be." As long as she continued to wake up and wounds continued healing, Rita would be fine.

"Thank tides."

Nixie sat down on the bench at Rita's feet and looked down at the Mermaid.

"About what happened yesterday," Nixie began slowly.

Yesterday? What happened yesterday? Oh right, Rita stopped breathing and she healed her. Then basically ran out. That.

"We don't need to talk about it," Veridia said. It came out sharper than she wanted, but Nixie didn't seem bothered.

"Not that, just that Rita's lucky to have you here, someone who knows what they're doing.'

"If she was really lucky, this wouldn't have happened in the first place."

And it was true. Rita wasn't 'lucky' to have her, luck doesn't get you people, who you are and your actions get you people. People choose to be with you. She chose to be with Rita. No luck about it.

* * *

Lyla surfaced in the canal beside Zac's house. It was the third time today she'd come and everytime Zac wasn't there. He should be home by now and she had news he would want to hear.

The whole 'Moon Ring Incident' had cut Zac up, it cut her up too. She hadn't shown it, she didn't need Sirena's sympthaties or Nixie's attitude and comments. She didn't want to see Veridia either and so had kept her distance.

She'd tried to help but Nixie pushed her away and did it all herself. That had hurt. She would never admit it but it had, she still felt like the loner even now her Pod was gone. Nixie and Sirena still had each other and she wasn't part of it. She thought maybe she'd have Zac, once she realised he wasn't just some land boy who grew a tail, but he had Evie and Evie hated her and Zac would do anything to keep Evie happy.

Lyla ducked back under the water and waited, treading water on the spot. She didn't want to hide under the dock. That was the dock she sat waiting for someone to come while she looked after Rita right after she got hit with the Moon Ring. Something that was partially her fault.

She surfaced again just as Zac disappeared into his box-house-thing.

Sighing she dragged herself out onto the shore and dried off.

She crossed the grass to Zac's door and knocked twice. Knocking was weird. Hitting yourself against solid wood to announce you're there. You don't knock in the sea.

"Yeah?" Zac called out.

Lyla opened the door and stepped in.

Zac looked terrible. He looked pale and tired, his eyes red.

"I bring good news?" Lyla offered.

Zac just raised an eyebrow.

"Rita woke up."

Zac's eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the floor.

* * *

She had tried to wait until Rita was awake again before changing the bandages once more but the Mermaid remained asleep. At least it was just 'asleep', sleep was something you wake up from, unconsciousness can last an eternity.

Veridia unwrapped the kelp bandages and removed the gauze across Rita's shoulder. Her stomach turned as the gauze came away with a dark red patch .

The thin vein like marks had opened and bled, and were marked in bright red the entire length of them. Veridia's chest tightened.

She grabbed the sponge she had beside her and wiped the blood away. She swore she almost fainted in relief. The blood was dried and the wound was shallow. No fresh blood leaked out where the dried blood had been removed.

Veriida gingerly unwrapped the rest of the bandages and gauze.

It was the same across Rita's hip and across the bottom of her ribs. Small superficial bleeds that caused no ill effect. Rita's skin was a healthier colour, still on the pale side but not a shade to cause alarm. Her breathing was much stronger but the incident yesterday made Veridia wary of pinning too much hope on that. Her breathing had been fine yesterday until she stopped.

Veridia re-wrapped the bandages, applying extra gauze across the areas that had bled. Things were going well but sustained bleeding no matter how small could still cause a lot of problems.

This was such a delicate stage of recovery, it wouldn't take much to cause a major setback and with time running out until she had to return to the Pod - it was a risk she couldn't take.

* * *

It was the fifth time Nixie went into the grotto that Veridia was finally asleep. Ever since Rita had woken up Veridia had refused to leave her side. Not that she would ever say it to Veridia but she looked terrible.

There were telltale signs that Veridia hadn't been in the water, her skin was dry and cracked and there was a constant catch in her voice, like even her throat was dried up. Not to mention her hair. Veridia, like most council members wore their hair in elaborate styles. These last few days Veridia's hair was left loose and tangled, and getting more tangled every day.

Nixie descended the stairs quietly not wanting to wake Veridia, and took a seat on one of the other squishy chairs that she still didn't know the name of, they were comfy though and would make the long night of sitting slightly easier.

She supposed it wasn't too bad, Veridia had been the one sitting up at nights, making sure Rita kept breathing and that nothing bad happened to her.

Bad stuff happened anyway but at least Veridia knew what to do when Rita stopped breathing or when her wound started bleeding. The latter began happening far more frequently once Rita was conscious enough to move.

It wasn't until Nixie felt eyes on her that she looked down at Rita. The Mermaid was awake but her eyes were unfocused staring at the floor.

"Hey," Nixie said softly.

"Hi," Rita looked up at Nixie.

"How you feeling?"

Her skin was still too pale but better than it was. Her eyes were still unfocused. But she was awake.

"Tired."

"Go back to sleep."

She'd been sleeping for days yet Rita's eyes closed again and Nixie slouched back.

It was progress at least.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed chapter nine, chapter ten will be a while away, I have literally only written five words and they're notes for the first scene. **

**College has upped the work load, I have tests every few weeks, projects due in and work to do on my graded unit which is the whole point of my course.**

**I have no intentions of leaving this fic unfinished though, I've written too much not to complete it. I am still aiming for ten chapters but depending how chapter ten works out there may be more. **

**Until next time :)**

**(I'll try not to take too long)**


	10. Chapter 10

**This was originally going to be the final chapter, I was planning for ten chapters but now I have too many ideas so I'm now going for twelve chapters. That may increase again though, depending how things end up writing out.**

**Summary: Everything starts to look ... better?**

* * *

The ceiling never changed. No matter how long she stared at it, it never changed. Nothing ever changed. She was honestly bored. She never really got bored, there was always something to do. Whether it was work, swimming, housework, making a potion of some kind, or even speaking to Poseidon she always had something, or could find something to do.

Not here though, not now. She couldn't do anything other than lie and stare up at the ceiling. The grotto had turned into a mess in however long it was she'd been out and looking at it stressed her out. The fact that she wasn't strong enough to get up and sort it out just stressed her out more.

Boredom just wasn't something Rita was used to. She hated it. She wanted to get up. She needed to get up. She had tried but her legs wouldn't cooperate with the rest of her.

She couldn't take one more minute lying here feeling her muscles wasting away and her skin slowly drying. How long had it been since she was actually in the water? It had to have been a few days at least.

Mermaids aren't designed to not be in the water. They're Mermaids. Mermaids need the Sea. It's just how it is.

Rita sighed and closed her eyes blocking out the ceiling. She wanted Veridia to come back down, or Nixie - they actually spoke to her properly. Lyla never came in and Sirena just kept apologising and crying over something. She guessed it was something to do with why she had been unconscious and why her side hurt so much but nothing anyone said made any sense.

Once Veridia came back she'd ask. Not right away, she needed to convince Veridia to let her move, let her go anywhere that wasn't this bench where all she could do was stare at the ceiling. Every time she asked she was just told she wasn't fit enough.

Something landed on her legs. Rita opened her eyes and Poseidon walked up over her and lay down on her chest. On the side that didn't hurt. Smart cat.

"Hi."

Poseidon purred and butted his head against her chin.

"Morning," Veridia breezed into the grotto, her curls bouncing lightly with each step and the light fabric of her dress floated like water around her.

Rita buried her face against Poseidon to hide her smile. It was a stupidly happy smile that no one needed to see. He purred even harder.

"How are you feeling?" Veridia asked as she descended the stairs to the grotto's lower level. Once she reached the bottom Poseidon stood up and jumped down, darting off into a far off corner.

"Bored."

Why waste words? Veridia hated unnecessary waffling. It was the thing she hated most about council meetings. The endless droning on by Mermaids who had very little to say but found the longest way to say it.

"I need to get out of here, I can't spend another second lying here doing nothing."

"It's not that bad," Veridia said. It was a half hearted, and frankly terrible attempt at appeasement and they both knew it.

"It's easy for you to say, you're not the one lying here the whole time. Did you know I can hear everything? I hear Lyla coming down and refusing to come in and every single conversation everyone has outside that door and I'm done with it."

Everyone knew Veridia for her chilling glare. What no one knew was that she learned it from Rita. She just never used it. Unlike Veridia.

"Alright, fine," Veridia relented, "but you're not fit to move far."

"Even just to the water then. I feel like I've not been in the water for ages, my skin is all dry and my hair feels disgusting. Please."

There was a look she knew Veridia always gave into. Pleading eyes and a slight smile. It worked every time, even now.

"Okay, but no swimming. You're - "

" - not fit. I know."

Veridia kept saying it. Every time. Every time she'd asked to do anything, no matter how slight she got the same answer.

"One condition," Veridia began, "you have to let me help you."

"Okay," Rita agreed. It wasn't that bad a term, she hated being coddled but it meant being close to Veridia.

There were times it felt like nothing had changed. A shared smile, touch of hands, she could almost trick herself that they were still together.

But they weren't. What they had was done. What she felt didn't matter. Veridia was leaving anyways. She hadn't actually come out at said but Rita knew it, Veridia had the Pod and she would have to go back.

"Sit up. Slowly," Veridia slipped her arm around Rita's back to help guide the Mermaid up.

"Okay, okay. One second."

Rita threw the corner of the blanket away from her. It landed uselessly at her knees. Rita threw the other corner, then slowly drew up her knees and the blanket slid off.

A small victory but the biggest achievement she'd made since waking up. Whenever that was. Time was fuzzy just now.

"See. I can do some things."

"No one's saying you can't."

"You are. Constantly."

Veridia met Rita's pointed stare before backing down.

"I just don't want you getting hurt."

Rita's face softened. This was the Veridia she had loved, the secret caring side she only permitted Rita to see.

"I'm already hurt, just don't smother me. Please."

* * *

Zac woke up to his skull pounding and the ground beneath him. He screwed up his face as a wave of nausea rose over him. Fuck he hurt.

"Zac?" A girl's voice spoke above him. His mind went straight to Evie. Evie who had put with so much shit recently.

"Zac, are you okay?"

That wasn't Evie. That was - Lyla?

Zac opened one eye. He was looking up at his ceiling. He moaned slightly as he moved. The action sent pain reverberating through his skull.

"Are you okay?" Lyla asked. She was crouched down beside him, her hand just hovering above his shoulder.

"I think I got hit by a train," Zac groaned as he sat up. His head spun. Maybe sitting was a bad idea.

"You fainted and hit your head."

"Huh."

Zac leaned back down on the ground and closed his eye. Then opened both eyes as a thought hit his mind. Even thinking hurt.

"Why did I faint? I never faint."

"I told you ... something and you fainted."

Something sounded ominous. Nothing was good when someone said something like that. He didn't like what his first thought was, he really didn't.

Zac's blood went cold.

"What did you tell me?" He had to know if he really was a killer or not.

"Rita woke up."

Zac relaxed into the ground. He felt better than he had in days. Ironic considering the absolute throbbing headache he had.

"Is she okay?"

"She will be. Everything's good now."

* * *

"Alright," Veridia gave in, "I'll stop. Unless you are being entirely unreasonable."

"Me? Unreasonable? Never."

That smile. The damn smile. Effortlessly teasing. She hated it. She loved it.

Rita eased her legs off the stone bench and rested her feet on the floor.

"I will help you stand up though because you haven't stood in days."

" I will let you help me. Also didn't we just agree on that condition."

"That we did."

Keeping an arm around Rita, Veridia slowly stood up, supporting Rita's weight against her until they were both standing.

"Standing feels weird."

Veridia laughed at that. Standing was weird anyways. It was the most unnatural thing to a Mermaid.

"Can you try walking?"

Rita took one uneasy step. Then another. And another. Veridia supporting her all the way.

* * *

Something was going on.

If she wasn't sure before she was completely convinced now. Something was going on and Zac and those weird nieces of Ms Santos' were involved.

Ever since that lunch at Zac's the weirdness had increased tenfold. Between all those loud noises, then the apparent dolphins, Ms Santos and Lyla leaving for a family emergency then all of a sudden Ms Santos is too ill to make it work or even phone in.

And Zac. Zac had been weird ever since that camping trip he and Cam took to Mako.

Evie knew there was something but no one would tell her everything. She wasn't crazy. She wasn't an idiot. She was smart and she saw more than people knew.

Whatever was going on Sirena was genuinely cut up about it. And Zac, Zac had been depressed ever since that lunch. He wouldn't talk to her, he barely spoke to Cam. She was worried about him.

Something was going on, and if anyone could figure it out. It was her.

* * *

It was slow progress moving from the grotto to the pool, but they made it. If it hadn't been for Veridia, Rita almost certainly would've collapsed before making it into the stairway. She was in worse shape than she thought. It was easy to think she could do this when she was lying in the grotto with nothing to do but look at the ceiling, but now actually up and moving - she was drained.

Veridia helped her sit down at the edge of the pool.

"I'll go in first and then - if you need it - I can help you," Veridia said.

"Okay," Rita nodded. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her lungs weren't quite filling with each breath. She just needed to be in the water. Then she'd feel better.

With each half breath her mind turned foggier.

She was only dimly aware of Veridia entering the water. The splashing of the water against the rock ledge snapped her out of her trance.

Veridia surfaced in front of her. Her hair was pinned back with an absurd amount of shells, signifying her status on the Council. She used to get Rita to help her tie it up like that.

"You ready?"

Rita nodded and dropped her feet into the water. To say it felt nice was an understatement. The water was so cool and smooth against her skin. She let herself slip into the water, closing her eyes as she went under.

The first embrace of water caused nothing but panic. It was dark. It felt like the water stretched endlessly in every direction. It felt like she was back in that place. That void of nothing but water where everything was … dead.

Then Veridia caught her hand and she opened her eyes. The water was still dark but she calmed enough to feel the water echoing back off the sides of the pool and the water lightened above her as Veridia pulled her to the surface.

"You okay?" Veridia held onto Rita's arms, the worry clearly evident all over her face.

"I just … panicked. I'm okay."

Veridia loosened her grip slightly but still didn't let go.

Rita's heart was still hammering in her chest and her breathing was still shallower than felt normal but the water made her feel so much better.

Mermaids need the sea, and no length of time on land can change that.

* * *

**I hopefully won't be too long with the next chapter but as always college is upping the work load. Unlike last time though I have made a start on the next chapter** **so as long as I keep my motivation up, it shouldn't be too long. **

**Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**First up I'm sorry this took so long, I was hoping to have this posted within a couple weeks after posting chapter ten but that never happened.**

**Summary: ****Rita's recovery continues, but an unforeseen complication arises. **

* * *

"What happened to me?"

Veridia tried to meet Rita's eyes but the other Mermaid was looking at the marks across her body. They looked worse in the water. What had been pale lines had turned a dark pinkish colour that stood out and harshly scored her skin.

"What do you remember?"

Nixie had asked her if Rita would remember what happened. She honestly didn't know. It seemed to vary from Mermaid to Mermaid. And on the severity of the case.

"Not much. Having lunch with everyone, flash of light, then just nothing."

"You got hit by a Moon Ring."

"Oh."

"I can put some more bandages over it if you want?" Veridia asked softly.

"What good will it do?"

"I've got something that I - you can put on the marks, it will help fade them up. It will hurt a bit but it works."

Veridia desperately hoped the Mermaid hadn't picked up on her slip up. Rita was awake now, she could start doing things for herself again.

"Okay."

Rita pulled away and moved backwards to rest on the ledges around the edge of the pool. Veridia swam over and sat next to her and for a second it was like nothing had changed. It was like when they were kids, lying in the water so close their fins touched, or when they were teenagers and they stopped pretending it was all an accident, or after they got legs and found out sleeping on land was more fun than anyone had told them.

"What are you doing here?" Rita paused," I don't mean it like that, but I thought the Pod was out in the South Pacific."

"We are," Veridia replied. "Nixie came and asked for help."

"She did?"

"Yeah. You told her about us?"

She wasn't annoyed or angry about it. It was hard to describe exactly how she felt, it was a whole muddle of feelings.

"I was defending you."

"Defending me?"

"Mermaids in the Pod have a certain," Rita paused, "...view about you."

"Which is?" She already knew what other Mermaids thought of her, you don't get to her position in the Council by being nice. You have to be… balanced.

"Scary," Rita replied. "Cold. Distant."

"I'm not - " Veridia felt her blood turn to ice and the words dried up in her throat. No, no, no. This shouldn't still be happening. Everything was fine. She was fine.

"What?"

"You're bleeding."

* * *

The cafe was a bustling hive of activity, people coming in and out, David and Carly gliding about with trays of food and drinks. They worked so well together, like how a pod of dolphins work together to hunt.

Sirena sat at a table tucked away in the corner with Lyla and Nixie and a large bowl of prawns which Nixie had packed about half the contents of into her mouth. Nixie reached for another prawn and Lyla smacked her hand away.

"Sirena you need to eat some more," Lyla said, "you've hardly touched the prawns."

"But if you don't want them, my stomach always has room for more," Nixie patted her belly and stuck her tongue out at Lyla when the blonde Mermaid glared at her.

Everything was normal for just a few seconds, Lyla and Nixie bickering and Sirena waiting for the right moment to interject. It was so good having Nixie back, Sirena had spent so many days here alone while Lyla was off watching Zac and Nixie was helping Veridia.

"Here you go, three watermelon and ginger juices," David set three glasses down on the table, "on the house."

"Thanks David," Sirena smiled at him. He was so kind. David was the opposite of everything they'd ever been told about land people, even Lyla liked him, or tolerated him at least. Nixie had shrugged and said he was alright "for a boy and a land boy at that" but said no matter what, she would support Sirena after the shattered glass incident.

"Yeah, thanks," Nixie said.

Lyla just smiled. Tensely.

"It's the least I could do," David tucked the tray under his arm, "I understand how hard a time like this can be. If you need anything let me know." David took off back across the cafe, picking up empty glasses on the way to the counter.

Would he be so nice if he knew exactly what was going on? That she was responsible for her 'aunt's' 'illness'? She was so lost in thought she hardly heard Nixie announcing she was leaving until Nixie waved her hand in front of her face.

"You coming?" Lyla asked.

"We're heading back to Rita's," Nixie said.

"What about the drinks?" Sirena asked. David had been so good to give them drinks for free.

"We've finished ours," Nixie said.

True enough both Lyla and Nixie's glasses sat empty on the table beside a now empty bowl of prawns.

"Yeah land people drink so little at a time," Lyla said, "their drinks are so small."

"I'm coming, just let me finish mine."

"Fine, also I finished the prawns," Nixie said.

* * *

This was going to be decidedly more awkward now Rita was awake. Veridia stood in front of the chest that held the bandaging supplies, her hands resting on the varnished wood. It had been so much easier to pretend she wasn't feeling anything before but now ...

The bleeding wasn't as severe as she'd thought. She'd just seen the blood and went immediately to panic. She was tired and honestly strung out from the stress of the last few days, she could be forgiven for panicking.

Veridia opened up the chest and took out a roll of gauze, for being a land thing it was really good for covering over wounds, and more kelp wraps. When she first came here the chest had been full, now it was nearing being empty. With any luck she wouldn't need many more.

Luck. If either of them were lucky they wouldn't be here.

Veridia shut the chest, gathered the supplies she took out and headed back down to the pool.

"Hold still," Veridia put a hand on Rita's shoulder - the one that was not weeping blood - to stop the Mermaid from shifting anymore. She pressed a soft strip of sea sponge against the blood and wiped it away. The blood cleared but within a second it began flowing out again.

"Does it hurt?" Veridia asked. There didn't seem to be too much blood but the wounds that had opened on her shoulder centered across the front of her shoulder where there was more movement.

Veridia pressed the sea sponge back down and pulled more over from the pile with her powers.

"Not if I don't move it."

"Not helpful. Do the cuts hurt or is it pain from moving?"

"The cuts sting but it's nothing bad."

"Hold these down, help me stop the bleeding," Veridia passed Rita a few strips of sponge. She took them without complaint and held them down over the edge of her collarbone onto the top of her shoulder.

"What about when you move your shoulder?"

"It hurts a bit but it's more like it's stiff than damaged."

"Or it's stiff because it's damaged."

"What is the damage? I can see these cuts and the rest of it but you're panicking a lot over a couple of cuts."

"Most of the wounds are superficial but some are deeper."

"What aren't you telling me?"

"They shouldn't still be opening like this. They had all healed over more or less but opened when you started moving which wasn't expected but is no cause for concern."

"But?" Rita pressed.

"You're not healing properly."

There really wasn't any other way to say it. The initial wounds, burns whatever they were, had healed or at least seemed too. They had closed over, scabbed over and stopped bleeding. The more superficial even gone to scars already. Yet ever since she had woken up there had been too much regression, it shouldn't still be like this. Her healing should not be fluctuating this much as this late a stage after the initial injury.

"Great."

"I can bandage it up again. There are a couple more salves I can put over the worst of it as well, and then once they're closed over there's that cream I mentioned."

"You know if you were nice like this all the time people wouldn't be so scared of you."

"They're not - "

"Sirena's scared of you."

"Shh. You need to keep your strength."

Veridia pretended not to see Rita's smile and busied herself checking the bleeding. She lifted the sponge and tossed it aside when no more blood rose up.

"You can stop holding it now."

Rita set the sponge down beside her.

"It'll be easier if you changed back before I bandage."

"I don't think I'm strong enough to use my powers to dry off."

Veridia held her hand over Rita's tail and slowly curled her fingers inwards. Steam rose up and within a minute Rita's tail was replaced with legs.

The shift had caused the wounds to open again. She should've gotten Rita to change back first before stopping the blood. The bright red soaked through the white of the shirt.

Rita unbuttoned the shirt and pulled it down off her shoulder. A slow trickle of blood dripped out of the open wound and down her chest.

"It hurts more now."

"I'll get it cleaned and bandaged and then you just need to rest and recover your strength."

"I can't."

"And why not?"

"I can't relax here. There's too many people coming and going and it's just.."

"It's okay," Veridia placed her hand over Rita's. Then she panicked, should she have done that? She shouldn't have done that. The panic grew until Rita threaded her fingers in between Veridia's. It scared her how quickly that had become her automatic reaction. She'd done it when Rita was unconscious, to offer comfort but they weren't together anymore, she shouldn't be doing that.

Veridia took her hand away and picked up the sponge Rita had set down. She dipped it in the water and sweeped it over the blood, before using her powers to flick the water away before either her or Rita grew tails again.

She laid the gauze over Rita's shoulder, held it in one hand and with the other wrapped the kelp bandage over the top.

"I should've left the bandage on from before," Veridia said as she wrapped the second length of kelp over Rita's shoulder, "would've saved us all the trouble."

"It was uncomfortable," Rita said, "I was so glad you took it off."

"Better uncomfortable than infected."

"This shirt is also really uncomfortable."

"Once this is done, I can get you another one," Veridia secured the end of the wrap and began wrapping up the final kelp wrap.

"I don't want to stay down here anymore," Rita said. " I can't take it anymore, I want to go upstairs just for a bit."

"Okay." She had been expecting that. In a way it would be good, being away from the hive of activity the grotto seemed to be would help the healing process. It also served as a harsh reminder than the land was Rita's life now.

"All done," Veridia tied up the last kelp wrap.

"Thanks," Rita pulled her shirt back up over her shoulder.

"You wait here and I'll be back with a shirt," Veridia stood up.

"Third drawer down. Not another one like this, it's really uncomfortable."

Veridia just rolled her eyes and hid her smile.

* * *

"Now this is due on Monday so have it emailed to me by the end of the day and I will do my best to mark it before Thursday's class."

Zac scribbled down the questions into his notebook. They had been given one of the new teachers for their Spanish class, Miss Wilson. She was young, she was pretty, she'd attracted most of the guy's attention and she knew exactly five words of Spanish.

Still she tried. So Zac tried too. He was grasping for any distraction at the moment, be it playing whatever video game Cam wanted, helping David close up the cafe, or spending hours looking through an online Spanish-English dictionary to do homework that they all knew would never be marked because the only teacher who could speak any amount of Spanish was currently off sick with an illness that no one really know what it was.

Still she was awake now and she'd be back soon and then Zac could feel even worse about himself having to sit in her class three times a week.

The bell went and Zac shoved his notebook carelessly away and joined the wave of people leaving the class and heading off to the next one.

* * *

Rita was surprised she even made it to the grotto entrance, let alone up to the living room. Her head had started to hurt, a dull throbbing ache in her skull made worse by the sunlight streaming in through the windows on the way up the stairs.

As much as it hurt, the sunlight felt nice. It was warm, even through the glass and she was cold, the shirt she had on was on the thin side. It was uncomfortable too, one of her work shirts with a collar that she dreaded to think how long she'd had on. Shirts are a one, maybe two day wear, not multiple days.

"What are you doing?" Veridia stood at the top of the stairs, one of Rita's t-shirts folded over her hand. She definitely looked less than impressed. Beautiful and unimpressed.

"You were taking too long and I really needed a drink." That and she was really tired of having everyone trying to do everything for her. She'd spent the last five years alone, picking herself up from every low she'd gone through, she could do the same with this.

Veridia sighed.

"Here," Veridia passed her the t-shirt, "I'll get you water and you can get changed. Then you are going to sit down and rest."

"Alright," Rita took the shirt from her and held it against her chest. She used the wall as a support to make her way to the laundry room, it was closest and she could put the shirt straight in the wash. She took great care not to knock any of the photos or paintings squint, they were lined up so neatly she didn't want to ruin it.

She stepped away from the wall to open the door and everything tipped to the side. Rita grabbed the door frame, digging her fingers into the wood to keep herself upright. Spikes of heat ran up her back and drilled pain into her skull.

Everything stopped spinning.

Rita opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it behind her. It was nice to be alone just for a few minutes.

Rita unbuttoned her shirt, her fingers not working like she wanted them too. It was slow progress but she finally got the last button undone and pulled the shirt off, throwing it to the ground. After this she was never wearing that one, or another one like that again.

She'd get round to washing it, once her head stopped hurting and the world stopped tilting.

It hurt putting her new shirt on, her shoulder was stiff and the bandages didn't help anything; she could hardly lift her arm. Rita slipped the top over her arm and pulled it up over her injured shoulder, after that it was easy enough, apart from when the fabric first touched the burned skin over her side.

Rita made it back through to the living room without any incidents. She even managed to walk a few steps without leaning against the wall.

"Here," Veridia passed her the glass. She had never wanted normal, plain water so much, her head hurt and she was so thirsty. Rita finished the glass in seconds.

"I'll get you another one."

"I'm going to sit down."

"Good idea."

As she sat down her side brushed against the side of the couch and she couldn't help the sharp hiss that came out. It hurt. Everything hurt. Her head was still so sore, sharp bolts of pain now stabbing through her skull. At least her top was no longer rubbing against her neck.

Poseidon meowed from the stairs and ran over, stopping at the edge of the couch and walking the rest of the way acting like he hadn't just shot across the room to see her.

"Hi," Rita spoke softly to him.

Poseidon meowed again, brushing against her legs before jumping up on the couch beside her and climbing onto her knee, butting his head against her.

"Did you miss me, hmm?"

Poseidon just purred and rubbed his head on her chin.

"Have they been looking after you? They better have."

Veridia stood by the arm of the couch and passed her another glass. Poseidon growled.

Rita took the glass and drained it. Land glasses were so small.

"The animal doesn't like me. He growls every time I go near him."

Rita set her glass on the ground at her feet.

"He doesn't like anyone that takes my attention away from him. He hates the other Mermaids. Apart from when Sirena feeds him, then he likes her until he's finished eating."

"They're unusual creatures. I don't understand why land people like them so much."

"They're called cats and they're lovely."

"He's growling."

Rita laughed. It was true. Poseidon was growling at Veridia.

"Will you be okay if I go out for a bit?" Veridia asked.

Rita nodded, "I'll be fine."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

Lyla would've much rather they swam back from the cafe. The water was far nicer and quieter than navigating the horrible streets of the land world. There was always so much movement - land people, those wheeled boxes, and all those other moving things land people had. Not to mention the noise. So much noise.

The water was better. She could've slipped off and gone to see Zac, pretended she met some dolphins and then gone to Mako and avoided going back to Rita's.

She didn't want to see Rita. It wasn't Rita as such she was avoiding but the sour guilt she felt. She felt the same after Rita caught her with her Moon Ring when she borrowed it to open up the tunnel on Mako.

Lyla felt her feet slow as they passed the road she could turn down to Zac's. She started drifted towards it.

"Lyla," Sirena's voice broke the spell dragging her towards Zac.

Lyla looked up, Nixie and Sirena stood on the pavement watching her, Nixie had her arms crossed.

"I'm coming."

"If you'd rather see your boyfriend we get it," Nixie dropped her arms and started walking off.

"He's not my boyfriend."

She liked him and she liked getting to see him but that was it. Nothing more.

Rita was sitting on the couch in the living room, Poseidon on her knee when they returned to the house. Lyla hung back trying to shrink back, an impossible feat considering she was taller than both Sirena and Nixie.

"Rita," Sirena hurried over, essentially throwing herself onto the couch and hugging the Mermaid. Poseidon scrambled away. He must have dug his horrible little claws into Rita's leg as she winced as the cat leapt to escape Sirena as Rita hugged her back.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Sirena said.

"Yeah," Lyla said, "it's good to see you." She looked away, watching Poseidon trot behind the kitchen counter to avoid meeting Rita's eyes.

"I'm so sorry about what happened," Sirena broke the hug, "we didn't mean to."

"It's okay Sirena."

_Is it? _

* * *

"Do you remember what happened?" Nixie asked.

She'd never been through this part of the house before, apart from the first time when they went through each room looking for Sirena's Moon Ring, but she'd never paid any attention. The walls were the same plain white as the rest of the hallways but dotted with framed paintings and photos. Nixie stopped beside a large photo of a grey horse to let Rita rest.

She'd offered to walk with Rita after the Mermaid almost collapsed once she got off the couch. Lyla had already vanished off so Nixie told Sirena she'd meet her Mako and stayed behind. Again.

Rita leaned back against the wall and shook her head, "I remember being at lunch with the Blakley's and you three, Cam and Evie and then little flashes that I can't put together."

"Did Veridia tell you what happened?" She'd asked Veridia if Rita would remember but she hadn't been sure and Nixie hadn't seen Veridia to get any update.

"All she said was l got hit by a Moon Ring. Why?"

"Just wondering," Nixie looked up at the photo of the horse. She'd only seen horses before from a distance, sometimes land people would be sitting on them on the beach when she was hiding out watching land people.

"Nixie."

Nixie didn't look round, and kept her eyes on the photo beside her. There wasn't really much more to look at and there wasn't anything remarkable about it but it was something to look at instead of facing Rita.

"What happened?" Rita asked . "Why is everyone acting so … weird?"

Nixie scrunched up her face and turned around. She couldn't do this, why should she be the one dealing with all this? This wasn't her fault.

"I don't think I should tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't think it's a good idea until you're completely better. Veridia keeps going on about a calm environment to help healing so I'm not going to tell you."

"If anything it's more stressful that no one will tell me what's actually going on. Please Nixie, I'm so tired of this."

"You need to rest."

The lightbulb ahead flickered off then on, buzzing softly.

"I've done nothing but rest, I just want to know what's going on. Why is Sirena apologising every time she sees me and why is Lyla acting like she'd rather be anywhere but here and refusing to talk to me?"

The lightbulb was flickering in a steady stream. Off. On. Off. On. Off. On. Off. It fizzled loudly and died out.

"They were involved in what happened," Nixie said. It came out before she could stop herself. "They both feel bad so they're acting weird. Now you need to rest because if anything happens to you Veridia will kill me."

"Fine, but afterwards you are going to tell me everything."

* * *

Rita held up the glass jar Veridia left for her. It was small, only about the size of her palm and couldn't be more than three inches tall. The liquid, if it could be called liquid, was thick and moved slowly when she tilted the jar. It was a soft pink colour, like the tentacles of those strawberry anemones.

Veridia told her she had some salves to help and this was one of them that could fade the scars that now covered about half of her upper body. She'd taken the bandage off her shoulder and the newly opened marks were still red raw. Looking at them reflected in the mirror, she hated them. They were sore. They were ugly. They were marks of a trauma she couldn't remember and they were very, very prominent.

She wanted them gone.

After Nixie left her she'd spiralled. She hurt so much and the ache in her head had gotten worse. She was used to pain but this was a new hurt. Sirena and Lyla did this. With a Moon Ring.

This is why Moon Rings are dangerous. Without the right control they are an unpredictable and deadly weapon. You'd never think it just looking at one.

Rita unscrewed the lid and set the jar down on the edge of the sink. She scooped some of the mixture out and applied it first over her shoulder and collarbone.

Her skin tingled under the layer of whatever healing salve this was.

She applied more down over her chest, and down her stomach to her hip.

The tingling grew worse.

She set the lid back onto the jar but the pain that tore through her chest stopped her in her tracks.

It burned.

It burned even as her head swam and black closed in. She gripped the edge of the sink, the porcelain cool beneath her hands. She closed her eyes and waited for the pain to subside.

Veridia said it would hurt. She'd expected pain but nothing like that.

She didn't even feel it as her legs gave out and she fell to the ground.

There was only fire.

* * *

**This chapter really got away from me. I was writing it out and it ended up over three thousand words so I put the last half of this into the next chapter, went to go finish up this chapter and somehow it ended up over four thousand words. I'm not 100% happy with how this chapter is written but it's up now and I hope everyone enjoyed it. **

**In other news I don't like online classes. I had so many technology issues at the beginning they just stressed me out and affected my view on them. One thing I do like though is if I don't put my camera on no one can see me flipping them off and making sarcastic comments. **

**Online classes really suck for my course, Equine Studies, I miss working with the horses and getting to ride and there's large chunks of modules we can't do because they require practical evidence. **

**I hope everyone is staying safe and doing alright. Not everyday is going to be a good day, but not everyday will be a bad one. No matter how stressful a time this is, it will hit an end at some point we just have to hang on in there and we'll get through this. **

**Until next time, hopefully I won't be too long but then I say that every time.**

**Stay safe everyone. **


	12. Chapter 12

**It only took a month and a bit but I finally finished this chapter.**

**Summary: ****The Full Moon is almost upon them and everyone's on edge. **

* * *

Zac sat down on his couch facing the door and opened up his laptop. A week's worth of homework was due and he hadn't looked at it. His mind had been too scattered to do anything and he'd broken his promise to himself of trying almost immediately after walking out of the classroom.

Maybe Evie would help.

She'd forgiven him for his odd behaviour at the disaster of a lunch and she had loved the make-up present he'd gotten her - a seashell bracelet Sirena had made. Although Evie was another source of guilt right now, he was still lying to her about his tail. He wanted more than anything to tell her and confess everything.

The door to the boatshed opened and Zac looked up expecting one of parents, but instead Cam darkened his doorway.

"Full moon tomorrow," Cam said and leaned against the doorway.

"Yup," Zac pretended to look at something interesting on his screen. He was well aware the Full Moon was approaching. He'd woken up in a cold sweat from a nightmare. He'd been back in that pool he turned in, the Trident in his hands and blood in the water. He hadn't gone back to sleep after that.

"You going to Mako?"

"Hadn't planned too." It had been the last thing he wanted to do.

"You know you're missing a really big opportunity here Zac?"

"What do you mean?" He was too tired for this bullshit. His sleep schedule was fucked and this week had been so excruciatingly draining.

"I mean the Trident. The fish chicks are a bit .. preoccupied at the moment, they won't be there to stop you."

The Trident. Locked away in a chamber of water on Mako. With a large blue stone that glowed like a Moon Ring. Only stronger.

"I hadn't thought about it," Zac lied. While he hadn't spent much time on it, one thought kept him up at night. The Mermaids were telling the truth when they said it was dangerous. If one little Moon Ring could cause that much damage what could the Trident do?

"Really Zac?" Cam left the doorway and stalked forward.

"I've been … busy."

"Come on Zac, this is what you wanted," Cam took the seat beside him and Zac turned his laptop away.

"I'm not so sure I do now."

"Are you serious right now? This could be the biggest thing of your whole life."

"I don't want it."

Cam sighed and slouched in the seat.

"A lot has happened Cam. Look what happened last week, I almost killed someone and that was a Moon Ring, imagine what the Trident could've done. I can't - I can't do that again."

"That wasn't your fault Zac."

"That's the thing Cam, it was."

Cam sighed loudly and shrunk further back, "Then the Trident can stay where it is."

Zac furrowed his brows and looked at Cam. Cam had changed his mind awful quick. It was probably a ploy.

"You forget," Cam said tilting his head towards Zac, "they left me with her while they got that potion thing."

"I did forget that."

"Did the fish chicks say anymore?" Cam asked slowly.

Zac nodded, "she's awake but I've heard nothing more. Lyla was here yesterday but didn't say much."

Lyla stopped by everyday to see him and escape Nixie. She was a welcome break but everytime she left he felt worse.

"That council Mermaid still here?"

"Lyla said she's leaving soon, either today or tomorrow."

"The council mermaid leaving right before the Full Moon, it's a sign Zac."

"Cam."

"Sorry, sorry," Cam sat up, "seeing as you're not planning a party on Mako, how about going to David's Halloween party? Your girlfriend's going."

"Halloween party?"

"In the cafe? The one David puts on every year? Dude, you forgot about Halloween?" Cam threw up his hand in an exasperated motion. "It's my second favourite holiday."

"I didn't forget," Zac defended. "Not exactly."

Halloween was fun when they were kids, they'd dress up, go round all the houses in his street, Evie's, and Cam's, getting a boatload of sweets then going back to one their houses and eating as much as they could. It wasn't as fun as a teenager, no one gave them anything but strange looks.

"You going?" Cam asked.

"Why not?"

It could be fun, a nice distraction from the rest of the bullshit.

"Yes, Zac!"

* * *

The house was quiet when Nixie returned. The same quiet as those rare times she found herself being the only one at home. Back then it had made her happy, being alone was such a rare thing, but now it made her frown. It shouldn't be this quiet.

Nixie stopped in the grotto doorway on her way up to the main house - empty. She pursed her lips and continued upwards. She activated the sliding bookcase door and stepped into the carpeted hall.

Poseidon came running up to her meowing loudly.

"What do you want?"

Poseidon hated her, actually hated her. He growled whenever she went to stroke him and more than once had hissed at her for going near Rita while the Mermaid had been unconscious.

He brushed against her legs and meowed again.

"Get off," Nixie nudged him with her foot.

He obliged and trotted off. Then stopped and looked back at her, meowing again.

"What?"

Poseidon came back to her, wound himself around her legs and trotted off again and stopped to meow again.

"What do you want, cat?" Nixie took a step towards him and he moved away from her. He meowed, softer this time.

Nixie walked towards him and he took off. He was probably just hungry. Without Rita looking after him every day he'd missed a meal or five and complained bitterly every single time it happened.

As she followed him through the hallways, passed and beyond the kitchen, worry grew in her stomach. Poseidon spent all his time with Rita. The only time that cat had left her was when Sirena remembered to feed him and when Veridia made him leave. Even then he would sulk outside the grotto going back and forth until he stopped being shooed away. He wouldn't willingly spend time away from the Mermaid.

Poseidon yowled loudly outside of the door to Rita's room and circled around on the spot.

"What's wrong?" Nixie asked him softly. In truth she was scared of the answer. Why was it always her who had to deal with this? The horrible fear every time something went wrong. Sirena and Lyla didn't have the same fear. They were never here. Even now they were still hiding from Veridia in their guilt.

The cat stared at her before stretching up on his hind legs and scratching at the door.

Nixie opened the door and Poseidon shot through ahead of her.

The room was empty with no sign of anyone. There was a plain wooden chest of drawers with one drawer, the third one down, partially open. The teal blue curtains were open and the sunlight shone in, lighting up the room without any need for the light to be on.

Yet the lightbulb was flickering, just like earlier in the hallway and buzzing ever so slightly too.

_Meow, meow, meow._

Poseidon ran over to Nixie from a closed, white door on the other side of the chest of drawers and yowled at her.

Time slowed with every step Nixie took closer to that door. Her legs were on the verge of collapsing and each second trickled by like a lifetime.

She didn't even realise how her hands were shaking until she gripped the silver handle on the door and tried to push it down.

Her hand slipped off the handle. Poseidon yowled at her again.

Nixie took a deep breath and pushed the handle down once more. She pushed the door only for it to rattle in it's frame. She pulled it towards her with the same result. Nixie shoved the door and slammed her fist uselessly against it.

"Nixie what are you doing?"

"Something's wrong and I can't get the door." Her voice was thick, and every word was an effort.

Veridia held out her hand and the lock clicked. Not waiting for the other Mermaid, Nixie shoved the door open and stumbled into the bathroom.

* * *

Lyla let her legs dangle over the edge of the dock. The warm sun beat down on her back and there was an ever so slight breeze carrying the scent of the Sea in over the land. She'd come to see Zac again but he wasn't there.

She had gone to the dock to leave by the water but ended up sitting instead when she saw people on the other side of the canal sitting with their feet in the water. Anyways, it was a nice day for sitting and she had nothing better to do.

Lyla closed her eyes and tilted her head up to the sun, letting the warm rays clear her mind of the stresses of the past week.

The violent splashing to the side broke the reprieve.

A single Bull shark thrashing in the shallows, it's tail sending water flying in all directions. Lyla pulled up her legs as the shark turned and swam back out into the deeper water. The people across the canal shrieked and scrambled away from the edge, running back up their garden yelling about the shark.

Lyla stood up and walked along the dock back to the ground. She'd come back later and see Zac. For now she needed a swim. Somewhere without land people and wandering Bull sharks.

* * *

"Veridia!"

Veridia was through the door in an instant. Nixie was on her knees on the floor, beside Rita lying on her side not quite unconscious judging by the way she recoiled when Nixie touched her bare shoulder.

Veridia dropped down beside her and pressed two fingers against Rita's neck, feeling for her pulse. Her heartbeat was stronger than it had been but beat faster than normal.

"She needs to sit up," Veridia said. She stood up and pulled down a thin, light grey robe from a hook from the back of the door. She also needed something to cover the Mermaid with.

Veridia turned back around and Nixie had gotten Rita to sit up and had the Mermaid leaning against her. Veridia kneeled down beside them and draped the robe over Rita's shoulders. When her hand against her skin, Rita flinched under her touch.

"What happened?" Nixie demanded, "you said she was going to be fine. This is not fine!"

Veridia stood up and picked up the jar of salve she had given Rita earlier. It sat half empty, with no lid on the edge of the sink. She must have used it.

"What was in that?" Nixie asked.

"Nothing that should have caused this," Veridia forced her voice to remain calm. "It's a commonly used healing salve, this hasn't happened before."

Mermaids, from hatchlings to the oldest of Elders, used that recipe with no ill consequences.

"Is she allergic to anything?"

"No. Nothing that's in it."

"Well what's in it then?"

"Neutralised Moon jelly, Irish sea moss and bubbled anemone," Veridia set the jar back down, "nothing that harms." Moon jelly was a commonly used base, sea moss was just a plant and an anemone's sting couldn't even be felt by a land person, let alone a Mermaid.

"Then why did this happen?"

"I don't know," Veridia admitted. She kneeled down beside Nixie again.

"She's shaking," Nixie said, her own voice shaking, "and she feels really hot."

Veridia placed her hand on Rita's forehead. Her skin was burning.

"Fever."

Of course she had a fever. From an infection most likely. She should never have taken the bandages off, or given Rita that salve. The salve. It shouldn't have done this. A salve couldn't cause a fever to come on this quickly.

"I need to have a look at her shoulder," Veridia said.

Nixie just nodded.

Veridia pushed back the robe, slipping it off Rita's shoulder and inspected the wounds. They looked irritated but that was to be expected. The swollen lines however, were not. Veridia pressed her fingertips against the largest burn across Rita's shoulder then lightly pressed beside the wounds.

The Mermaid whimpered slightly and opened her eyes.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Veridia placed one hand on Rita's cheek and looked at her eyes. They were unfocused and glassy.

"Cold," Rita whispered.

"She's burning," Nixie said.

"It's the fever. It makes you so hot you feel cold."

"You need to lie down and rest," Veridia said to Rita, "We'll take you through."

She turned to Nixie, "can you help me get her up?"

"Yeah," Nixie nodded.

Veridia wrapped her arm around Rita's waist and helped Nixie get the Mermaid to her feet.

"Can you walk?"

Rita shook her head.

Veridia supported the Mermaid's weight against her, just like when she helped Rita down to the water. This time the progress was far, far slower. One step at a time back through into the bedroom and over to the bed.

"Just sit," Veridia kept her arm around Rita's shoulder as Nixie slowly stepped away, and guided her to sit down on the bed. The Mermaid sat heavily and Veridia could've sworn she was seconds away from falling asleep.

"Can you get some water?" Veridia asked Nixie.

Nixie nodded and slipped off.

"Lie down," Veridia placed her hand on Rita's uninjured shoulder.

"Okay." Her voice was quiet, hardly more than a whisper as she lay down.

How long ago was it she'd had to fight with Rita to get her to stay still? It felt like days. She'd do anything to have that back. She might have been one of the most annoying patients Veridia had had to deal with in a long time but at least she'd been seemingly getting better. Now it was like they were back to square one. Thank the tides Rita was actually awake this time.

Veridia laid the blanket from the end of the bed over the Mermaid before placing her hand on Rita's forehead. She was so hot. Mermaids have naturally lower temperatures anyway but even by land people standards her temperature was far too high.

"I missed you."

Veridia froze. It was just the fever talking. There's no way she actually …

"Go to sleep," Veridia took her hand away and moved to leave, she wanted to take a look at that jar. She stopped when a hand caught her wrist.

"Don't leave me."

_Don't leave me_

It always came back to that with them. Always. It had done before and it would again.

"I won't."

"Stay with me."

She'd heard that before. She'd said it before. When Rita left the Pod. She'd begged her to stay.

_"Don't leave. Please don't leave. Stay with me."_

_Rita pulled Veridia in and Veridia collapsed into her._

_"You know what they'll do to me."_

_The pain in her voice. Veridia knew what that meant. It was goodbye. The tears that burned in her eyes broke free._

_"Don't leave."_

_Rita sobbed. Veridia pulled away and took Rita into a hug._

_"I don't want to go. I don't want to leave."_

_"Then stay. Please."_

_"I can't."_

She'd been so angry after Rita left. Angry at Rita, angry at her mother who sat on that Council, and angry at said Council's rules. The Council may have given her a choice but it was never a real choice. If she had stayed she would've had nothing. Rita wanted to be a teacher. The Council would never have allowed her to teach. She would have been forced to be a scout or something else she would've hated.

It wasn't fair. Veridia had lost her twice before because the of the Council's stupid rules. Now she could lose her again, just when she thought the danger had passed.

"I will."

Veridia sat on the bed beside Rita and held her hand until she fell into a fever fuelled sleep.

I can't leave.

Her impending departure had hung over her constantly but now that thought echoed in her mind, not letting her think about anything else. She couldn't leave. Not with Rita in this state. She was head of the council, what she said went. More or less. If she said she wasn't coming back, the rest of the council and the Pod would have to accept it.

* * *

**The full mystery of the jar was originally planned for being revealed in this chapter but I ended up moving a huge chunk of this chapter, over 2,000 words, into the next chapter to save this one being too long.**

**Chapter 13 is coming up for 3,000 words so as long as I can focus on it, it shouldn't take too long to get finished. Also I have changed my chapter aim from 12 to 15 chapters but it may still go up depending on how it goes. **

**Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe and hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13

** Only took a week this time and posted before midnight for a change. Hope you enjoy!**

**Summary: ****Nixie wonders about the salve and Veridia makes a choice. **

* * *

Nixie picked up the jar that Veridia had set by the sink. It was a plain glass but the 'salve' inside was pretty colour, a nice soft pink. The lid had fallen into the basin and sat over the plug hole. Nixie picked it up and set it on top of the jar. What even was that stuff?

Nixie knocked the lid off the top of the jar and dipped her finger into it before wiping the salve onto the back of her hand. Her skin tingled under it. It was not a nice feeling. The tingling quickly turned to a horrid stinging. Nixie turned on the tap and shoved her hand under the water wiping the 'salve' off the back of her hand and the tip of her finger.

Whatever that was, that was not a healing salve. 'Nothing that harms' Veridia had said. Yeah right.

Moon Jellyfish do not sting Mermaids like that. Despite her natural healing powers, creating healing potions and all that wasn't her strong suit but one vital fact that was drilled in during all those four potion classes she went to was that the Moon Jelly, once taken from the central layer of the jellyfish and mixed with seawater was harmless to Mermaids and used as a base for a whole range of potions. It doesn't sting.

Anemones didn't sting and Sea Moss was just Sea Moss.

Nixie screwed the lid back on and carefully picked the jar up and took it with her down to the grotto. It wasn't until much later on that night she would think over this again and realise something that would have been so glaringly obvious if she hadn't been so preoccupied. Her hands were still wet.

* * *

Nixie stood in the little potion alcove with her arms crossed. Veridia made that salve here so whatever she used had to be in here somewhere. If it had been her that made it Nixie would have left everything sitting out so if she needed more it would have been there ready and waiting. Unfortunately it seemed Veridia was as neat about those kinds of things as Rita.

Everything had been put away.

Nixie sighed and sat down on the floor cross legged. There were a whole load of little wooden chests down here with various supplies - including all the kelp wraps and that. They weren't overly large, she could easily pick them up one at a time. They were pretty though, they had unusual carvings across the edges that looked like they could be flowers and had a large circle on the lid made up of lots of interlinking lines.

Nixie pulled the first one out and opened it up. It was the healing supplies one.

Nixie took out the next one. It was filled with empty vials.

The third one - a collection of vials with a gap large enough for two in the middle. Nixie closed the lid and pushed it to the side. Not that one.

The next one looked more promising initially. It still contained a large array of jars of all different shapes and sizes but they contained all the wrong kind of stuff. Nixie pulled one jar out. It was short, about the size of her hand and filled with sea urchin spines. The next jar was twice the height but half as wide filled with pieces of dried coral.

Nixie shoved it to the side and pulled out the last box.

"What are you looking for?"

Nixie jumped at the sudden voice behind her. Veridia. Again.

"Can you stop coming up behind me? You're as bad as Rita," Nixie exhaled, trying to sort out her breathing. "Wait, I thought you were with her?"

"She'll be okay for a few minutes."

That was a good sign, if Veridia was willing to leave her then she must be okay. Back at the start Veridia had refused to leave Rita for even a second.

"How is she?" Nixie asked tentatively. Everyone kept asking that, herself included. It sucked.

"Better than she was when she was unconscious down here."

Nixie opened up the last box, "well that's something then."

The box held nothing she was looking for. Nixie slammed the lid shut.

"I'm trying to find the stuff you made that salve from," Nixie answered Veridia's question from before.

"It's over here. I kept it out."

Veridia took down a jar from a shelf above Nixie and handed it over a jar. It was half filled with a clear jelly. Nixie turned it over in her hands. On the side was a silver moon with four purple rings in the centre - the sign used to signify Moon jelly.

"This is the stuff you used?"

Veridia nodded.

"Well whatever that's made of - it is not Moon Jelly. It made my skin go all stingy."

"Pass it here."

Nixie passed over the jar.

Veridia took off the lid and ran her finger around the rim. Almost immediately after she wiped it against her dress.

"Told you. What is it?"

"Feels like Irukandji."

"Why would she have that?"

Irukandji was a highly venomous type of jellyfish. Mermaids had a higher tolerance for stings than land people but Irukandji could still cause some serious damage. It's not the kind of thing that would just be left lying around, and not the kind of thing that would be in a jar labelled for Moon jellyfish.

"Some potions call for it," Veridia said slowly, "Nixie I need your help to make an antitoxin."

"Another salve?" That worked so well last time.

"No, we can't put anything over the cuts. Can you get me an empty vial?"

Veridia's tone gave no room for arguing. She wouldn't have fought back anyway. Contrary to what some Mermaids would say about her, she did know when to shut her mouth.

Nixie dropped swiftly to the ground and opened up the chest of vials. She took one out and stood up while turning around, setting the vial down beside Veridia. The Mermaid had gathered a collection of tiny jars, smaller than her finger in the few seconds Nixie had turned her back.

"In that other box under the table, there should be two vials - one is a really dark blue then beside it a light green one in. They're both in the top corner, get me both."

Nixie turned back and crouched down, pulling out the chest Veridia was talking about. In the top corner there was a fancy vial filled with a deep, dark blue liquid and beside it, just like she said, one with light green.

Nixie set them beside Veridia who had half filled the empty vial with something turquoise. She took the blue one and added three drops then added five drops of the green vial.

"What is all that stuff?"

"Mostly plant extracts. Here," Veridia handed her the vial, "you need to take some."

"Why?" Nixie took it from Veridia and held it up to the light. It wasn't the most unappealing colour - a dark greenish blue colour. She wouldn't save it was a nice colour but it was alright.

"You put the salve on too."

Nixie sighed. She put the glass to her lips and tipped it back, swallowing a few drops of the blue whatever it was. It tasted like salt and like green. It tasted like the colour green looked. It wasn't awful but she wouldn't be in a hurry to drink it again.

Nixie handed it back to Veridia who took a small amount of the potion-thing, like she had.

"Why did it affect Rita so fast when I'm still fine? I mean it stung quite fast but I feel fine." It had been a short while since she'd come into contact with the salve and she was fine. Yet based on the state they found Rita in it acted immediately.

"The venom doesn't normally act instantly, but because of the cuts on Rita's shoulder it likely went straight into her bloodstream. She needs this now," Veridia placed a cap over the vial.

"I'm coming with you."

* * *

Life was bullshit.

It wasn't a difficult conclusion to reach. You spent years stuck away in schools, learning a lot of useless stuff so you can go on and learn some not useless stuff, so you can get a job and make money.

Maybe you find someone and spend your life with them, maybe you get a job you like, maybe you turn into a fish with super cool powers and a super cool literal symbol of the gods calling to you and then life becomes exciting.

Unless you're Zac and you decide not to go after the super cool literal symbol of the gods.

Cam stared up at his ceiling and sighed. Everything was bullshit right now. School was bullshit - the one class he was actually doing pretty well he was now on the verge because they didn't have a teacher anymore and his attention span meant he couldn't focus and do work on his own outside of school. Zac was hardly ever about and when he was Lyla was always hanging around and pissing off Evie, or he was all distracted and mopey.

The only thing he really had going was thinking about how cool it would be to have that Trident. Now Zac didn't want it. Because it was too dangerous. He had a point but all the same, to him it felt like Zac was giving up the biggest chance of his life. If it had been him, he would have leapt for the chance to be more than just Cam. The comic relief best friend who spent his whole life in Zac's shadow, now more than ever.

Cam sighed.

Life really is bullshit.

* * *

"You need to drink this."

Veridia tilted Rita's chin up and carefully tipped the vial's contents into Rita's mouth. She waited until the Mermaid swallowed the antitoxin before letting Rita rest her head back down on the pillow. She was asleep again almost instantly.

So long as that antitoxin worked, that was one less thing to worry about. Council matters had taken up almost all of her time over the last four years and there was a lot of specialised healing potions and knowledge in the general sense that she'd forgotten over the years or simply never had time to learn. Leading a Pod was a full time occupation, it was her duty to protect them.

What would they do if she didn't return tomorrow?

They would worry. Cordelia would be furious, It had been hard enough getting Cordelia to agree to her leaving when they all thought she would be there for only a few days. Now it had stretched into a week the Pod had been left. Without any word from her, who knows what will happen amongst the Pod.

"Will she be okay?" Nixie asked, interrupting Veridia's thoughts.

"She will be. In time at least," Veridia paused before continuing, "but I'll need you to keep an eye on her."

"Me? Why?"

Veridia took a breath and forced herself to make the choice. "I have to go back to the Pod tomorrow."

The words felt like knives against her tongue and cut into her stomach. It was what had to be done, so why did it feel so bad?

"You're leaving?" Nixie questioned. "Just like that?"

"Nixie-" Veridia began.

"You came here to help her, you can't just leave now when she still needs you. If you care about her at all - "

"Nixie enough."

"No! It's not. You can't leave. Especially not when it was that stuff _you_ made that did this!"

"Nixie."

"What are you going to do? Banish me," Nixie spat. "You've already done that."

Nixie shot a glare before storming out.

_If you care about her at all._

Veridia sat back down on the bed and placed her hand over Rita's.

"You said you'd stay."

"I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Zac watched the Moon creep up into view of his window, silvery bright and round enough that it could be mistaken for the Full Moon's face. He knew better. The Full Moon was a force like nothing he had ever felt. It called to him and he couldn't resist it, he didn't want to resist it and it didn't want him too.

The Moon wanted him to have the Trident. The moment he touched the smooth handle of the Trident, the Moon Spell broke. It wanted him there, in that chamber. He didn't want to be there.

He didn't want the Trident.

He didn't want any of this.

Zac sat back on the couch opposite the window and watched the Moon slowly rise. He lost track of how long he sat there before his eyes closed and sleep took him.

* * *

Veridia woke to Rita shivering beside her. She placed a hand on Rita's arm. The Mermaid's skin was cold. Too cold. At least the fever had broken.

The last however many hours had been a blur of fitful sleep, waking up at every slight movement from the Mermaid beside her and making sure Rita had something to drink every time she woke up. Her fever had worsened since Nixie left but the redness on her skin from the wounds had lessened.

Little victories.

Rita shifted and settled in closer beside Veridia. Veridia wrapped her arms around Rita, holding her close. Back in the Pod they had shared a cave together from the day Rita had arrived at Mako until the day she left. She'd long lost count of how many nights they'd spent lying side by side in the water.

Veridia slowly curled one hand into a fist to warm Rita up. Rita nestled in closer to Veridia and Veridia wrapped her arms tighter around her. Nixie's accusation swirled around her mind.

_If you care about her at all._

She needed more time here. For all the truly horrible moments, there was one redeeming light in it all - she was here now with the only Mermaid she had ever loved. She had to follow this through. It didn't matter if she never got to see Rita again after this as long as she would be okay.

Her responsibility was to her Pod. They couldn't be left. The Full Moon ceremony was a vital part of life in the Pod and as head of the Pod she had a duty to be there.

_"Love and duty don't mix. It has to be one or other."_

_"Well I'm choosing both. I'll always choose both."_

_"You can't have both."_

_"I'll have both until I can't anymore."_

_"And then what?"_

_"I choose you."_

It had been so easy back then. They had been in the final Moon cycle before getting their Moon Rings and had been on guard duty, watching the Moon Pool -

The Moon Pool.

That was it.

Love and duty can mix and she was going to have both.

Veridia untangled herself from the Mermaid draped across her, missing the warmth of another body immediately. She pulled the cover's back up over Rita, placed a kiss on the Mermaid's forehead and left without looking back.

If she looked back she wouldn't leave.

The house was still and quiet all the way down until the bookcase door, every light was off but a Mermaid's eyes can see as well in the dark as a land person can in the day. And that one window illuminated by the almost Full Moon provided more than enough light.

Veridia tilted the 'Mermaid Myth' book and the bookcase opened. The tunnel down to the grotto was still lit, none of the Mermaids knew how to turn the lights off and she hadn't found any time to look.

At least those lights were softer the closer to the pool entrance she got. She had reached the entrance to the pool cavern before hearing someone behind her.

"You're still leaving," the accusing tone in Nixie's voice was almost enough to make Veridia admit what she was doing. Almost. No matter the events of the past few weeks she was still the head of the council and didn't owe an explanation.

"Her fever broke but keep an eye on her. When she wakes up make sure she drinks plenty, and has something to eat, she hasn't eaten in ... too long."

That can't have helped anything. Mermaids could cope with prolonged fast, better than land people at least, but not when they were recovering from a near fatal accident.

"Why are you leaving?" Nixie asked. "You came all this way and now you're just abandoning us."

"I'll come back when I can."

"Don't bother," Nixie turned and stalked off back up the stairs.

Veridia took a deep breath and dove into the water.

* * *

**This chapter is another one that had a large chunk of it moved into the next chapter, because of this ****I am no longer aiming for a set amount of chapters. I****t's now just going to be however many it ends up being instead of working to a set number.**

**The next chapter is less put together than this one was so it will take a bit longer but I have now completely finished and passed my HNC so I officially have no more work to do apart from writing. I have been working on a silicone H20/Mako style mermaid top however, I have updates on that on my tumblr and instagram and I'm gathering supplies to begin making a H20/Mako style tail. **

**Tumblr: mako-and-tails-and-stuff**

**Instagram: mako_and_tails_and_stuff**

**I also post updates on my writing on tumblr and I'm way more active on tumblr than on instagram. **

**Chapter 14 is underway, almost 1,800 words so if I keep up this level of productiveness there may be another chapter next week. **

**Until next time :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm going to stop promising deadlines because I never meet them but I'm back and hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Summary: ****The Full Moon is now hours away and no one is ready. **

* * *

She really owed Rita an apology.

For the massive mass she'd just made in the grotto and for everything that had happened the last week.

After Veridia had left, Nixie may have … lost her temper. She had lashed out and broke a few things, okay more than a _few _things and really hurt her hand.

Nixie sat on the stone bench and took a second to catch her breath after her minor, definitely minor, outburst. The whole week had been a mess. She was running around looking after everyone now that Veridia had chosen to leave and Sirena did nothing but hide at the cage or apologise the whole time. At least she had apologised. Lyla was off pining after Zac with no apparent intention of apologising for what she did.

She still had that Moon Ring on her finger. If it was up to Nixie that damned ring would either be thrown down an ocean trench or hidden safely away in the same shell box as Rita's was.

Nixie sighed and got to her feet. Lyla wasn't here. There was nothing she could do about that until Lyla eventually appeared. For now she could pick up everything she'd knocked over and hope nothing had been broken.

Once the last cushion had been fluffed up and set back in place Nixie looked over her work. She could tell it had been cleaned and re-organised and Rita would definitely be able to tell but to anyone else it would pass for undisturbed.

Without another look she made her way down to the pool. She just needed to submerge for a minute then she'd go up and see Rita. She trusted Veridia's judgement that the Mermaid no longer had a fever, but that was as far as that trust went. Veridia wasn't someone she ever wanted to trust but over the last week it was something she found herself doing. Until now.

Nixie dove into the water and swam upwards, kicking her legs as one. She should have turned by now. Nixie looked down. Her legs were uselessly treading the water and the fabric of her clothes clung to her, moving unnaturally around her.

Nixie swam the edge of the pool and climbed. It was unnatural swimming with legs. She moved the way she normally would but it did nothing. The only plus side was that it was far easier to get out of the water.

Nixie sat at the edge and pulled off her sodden shoes.

_Why did she still have legs? _

She wasn't injured, or anything like that. She wasn't -

_The salve. _

She'd put some of that on. When she washed it off she hadn't dried her hands. Yet she didn't transform.

"Some potions call for it" Veridia had said. She never specified which. They were never taught how to use Irukandji for potions, only about the dangers of the jellyfish itself. And she wasn't the only one who had used it.

Nixie scrambled to her feet. Her jeans constricted against her legs as she moved. It was horrible. The wet socks against her feet were beyond uncomfortable and left little puddles as she did her best to run up the stairs.

She caught her foot on the edge of the carpet and fell forward shoving her arms out to break her fall. She landed on the floor as her body turned to water and she shifted back to Mermaid form.

Nixie slapped her fin against the ground. At least that was one less thing to worry about.

* * *

The water burned against her skin as she stepped into the bath. It eased considerably once her legs shifted to tail, her scales more suited to dealing with the heat than skin. Rita slid down under the water and let it wash away all the mess.

The still water held none of the darkness the cave in the grotto had. The sides of the bath were easily seen and felt against the edges of her fin and she could see the ceiling above the surface. The pool had been too much like _that_ place - that never ending void of the dead water - but this, this was fine. This was bearable.

She felt like she'd been hit by a whale and she could hardly move her shoulder. To make it worse - she had no idea why. The whole not-remembering-what-happened-to-her thing was starting to get to her. The last however many days were a confusing blur of odd memories here and there that would maybe make sense to someone, but that someone wasn't her.

Once Veridia reappeared she'd make her explain everything. She'd be back soon. From the vague memories she could recollect, Veridia was almost always there. It was the only good thing she could remember.

Rita surfaced and sat up, resting her back against the side of the bath, she gathered her hair and let it rest over her injured shoulder. For a while she'd thought about cutting it, short hair was easier to manage especially under water, but now she was glad of it.

There was a knock at the door.

"Rita?" Nixie called through the door.

"It's open."

Poseidon shot through the moment the door opened. She'd left him in her room as he had the annoying habit of lying on the edge of the bath and getting hair in the water. Then there was the multiple times he had fallen into the water and scratched her tail while scrambling to get out. The scars were still faintly visible, to her at least- little white lines curving over her scales.

If only the rest of them were like that.

Nixie shut the door behind her, trapping the cat in with them. As expected Poseidon leaped up onto the wide edge of the bath and laid down.

"Hey."

"Hey, how you feeling? Last night was pretty bad…"

"I honestly don't remember anything from last night."

"That could be a good thing?"

"That depends on what happened."

It was like being back in the Pod, when they were still young and learning how to fight the Moonspell. Waking up the morning after getting affected by the Moon and having no idea what you'd done but everyone else did. She'd hated it then and hated it now.

"The cuts got infected and you ended up with a fever."

A fever. Great.

"That explains why I feel so awful."

"Should you have been up and moving about?"

"Don't you start as well."

She'd had enough of Veridia doing that. She may be exhausted and her legs weren't working all too well but she could still walk the (very short) distance from her bed to the bath without any help.

"I won't. I'll stop. Promise. We're all just worried."

"I know you're worried but it's not helping. If I need help, I'll ask for it."

"Okay but I will hold you to that because I really don't need to deal with all this high stress running after everyone as well."

"Now you know how I feel. You three are a full time job, on top of my other full time job. If I still have one." The school board would not take too kindly to her not showing up and with no explanation

"Everyone thinks you're really ill, which isn't a complete lie. Zac covered it with his dad and it's Saturday anyways so you're good."

Saturday. She'd lost a whole week. She had yet to check her phone, no doubt there would be more than a few calls from the board. It was almost comforting that she couldn't find her phone. It was most likely downstairs somewhere but it gave her an excuse to avoid that until she was ready to deal with that.

"That's something then."

The heat of the water was starting to irritate her now, the comforting warmth turning to a sticky heat that made her head hurt.

"Did you transform okay?" Nixie asked. "Like as normal? No delay or anything?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"No reason." Nixie looked around the room, pretending the towel bin was the most interesting thing."

"Nixie, that is an oddly specific question."

"I got some of the potion stuff from the grotto on me and I couldn't change. I was stuck with legs but it's fine now. I tripped and faceplanted the floor because I changed." Nixie laughed

"The only thing that I have capable of doing that is locked away where you lot can't get it. You shouldn't have been in it."

In the Pod they were always taught to keep anything that can harm locked away separately from everything else. Irukandji - the one thing she owned capable of preventing transformation - was locked in a small metal chest and kept up on a shelf. There was nothing in there that anyone needed to be using - least of all a Mermaid in the beginning of her training.

"Sorry," Nixie apologised, "well I'm going to make breakfast - you should have something to eat too."

Nixie changed the subject too quickly but she couldn't find the energy to fight back. She'd press the matter again once her head stopped being all foggy.

"I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten in a week," Nixie said. " I know Mermaids can last a while without eating but a week is pushing it. You need to eat. I will keep bothering until you do, so it'll be easier if you just give in."

She didn't doubt it. She'd lose anyways. She was too tired to argue or worry about why Nixie was using toxic jellyfish or why it would affect her. The only thing she wanted to do was go back to sleep and hope that when she woke up she'd be able to deal with whatever chaos the Mermaid's managed to cause. Maybe food first was a good idea, might give her some of the energy she was lacking.

"Fine."

Nixie grinned, "I will go and boil the kettle for some tea, unless you need any help getting out first?"

Most likely. She could hardly move her right arm and she couldn't move her tail the way she wanted, and there was that overwhelming urge to go back to sleep.

"I'll be fine."

Rita waited until Nixie had shut the door before slipping back under the water. She just needed a minute yet before she could face trying to get out of the water.

* * *

Nixie set the kettle down on it's stand and hit the switch. It would be so much faster to use her powers, but Rita didn't like it when she did that. Something about not relying on powers for everyday tasks and not breaking the kettle by boiling it too fast.

At least the Mermaid was awake, if a little grumpier than normal. She shouldn't have brought up the Irukandji. She'd told herself she wouldn't, it was unnecessary stress to add to Rita. And herself. Rita said she kept anything dangerous locked away where they couldn't get it. Did Veridia know where that was?

It had crossed her mind that Veridia had deliberately done something, she _was_ the one who made the salve, but her reaction to finding out had been too … real. Despite what she had said before Veridia left, she did care about Rita. You don't fight against the council for someone you don't care about.

Nixie took out a mug with a white cat printed on the front and set it beside the kettle. She had no idea how to actually make tea but it involved boiling water so that was a start.

While the water boiled she made her way back up to the bathroom.

* * *

"Shit," Zac swore as his phone slipped from his hand and fell to the floor. "Fuck."

The phone bounced and landed under the low coffee table that doubled as a desk and a handy, easy- access shelf. Zac sighed and dropped down to his knees and then rested his upper body on the ground to peer under the table.

He grabbed his phone and checked the screen. No cracks. Zac exhaled in relief. He'd gone through too many phone screens already. He slipped his phone in his pocket and prepared to push himself up. A glint of something silver under the table caught his eye.

Zac lowered himself back down and reached in under the table. It was probably just a ring from a coke can or maybe one of the missing spoons his mum kept complaining about. Zac closed his fist around whatever it was - definitely not a spoon - and withdrew his hand. He rolled over and sat up before opening his hand.

In his palm sat a silver seahorse pendant on a silver chain. He studied the necklace, holding it up against the light. The clasp on the end of the chain was broken but the rest of the necklace was unharmed, if a little dusty. He felt like he'd seen it before but where - he had no idea.

It wasn't his, it wasn't Evie's. At least he didn't think it was Evie's. He wasn't in the habit of having girls in his room, apart from Evie. And the Mermaids who kept showing up...

"Zac," his mum knocked once on the door before entering the boatshed, "what's that Zac?"

"A necklace," Zac set it back down in his palm hiding it from his mum.

"Let's see."

Zac silently cursed and handed it over. He did not want to explain how a necklace ended up his room. He watched as his mother studied it. He needed something to say but he had no idea what. A recurring thing nowadays.

"I got it for Evie but the clasp broke." The lie came smoothly but tumbled out of his mouth faster than a non-guilty person.

"Oh that's no problem, I can fix that for you," his mum looked up at him. "It's pretty, is that a seahorse?"

"Uh yeah. Thanks mum."

"I'll get it back for you tomorrow."

"Thanks."

"Oh and Zac,"

"Yeah mum?" Zac looked up.

"Please hoover in here. You've gotten Evie's necklace all dusty."

"Will do."

Zac waited until his mum left before he picked up his phone and opened up Cam's text messages.

_Do any of the Mermaids wear a seahorse necklace? _Zac hit send and waited. Cam was really the only person he could ask. Except maybe David - David would know if it was Sirena's.

Cam replied less than a minute later.

_How shld i no?_

It was his fault for thinking Cam would be helpful. Then a second later his phone buzzed again.

_Why?_

Zac hovered his thumbs over the keyboard as he thought what to say.

_Found one in my room. _

_Sure its not urs_

_Nah. it's silver, gold suits me better_

_XD _

Zac set his phone down and flopped backwards onto the floor. The light above him a perfect circle, just like the Moon that would be rising tonight.

* * *

Nixie knocked and opened the bathroom door without waiting for a reply. Rita didn't seem to be in the mood for a lecture. Even when Nixie told her about the Irukandji the Mermaid's response had been almost non-existent.

Rita had surprisingly - not that she would ever say that to the Mermaid - gotten herself out of the bath and was on the floor, leaning against the side of the bath with her tail stretched out in front of her and a towel draped over the top of her tail.

Nixie couldn't help immediately looking at the Mermaid's injury. The redness across the wounds had lessened but was still prevalent across her skin, with the exception of where the wounds intercepted scales - there they were white.

Rita pulled the towel up and covered her chest.

"Watch your feet, there's water everywhere."

Nixie looked down. Sure enough only milimetres from her socks was a puddle of water.

"I did offer to help."

"It would have ended with you on the ground with a tail beside me," Rita started drying off her arm with the towel, further hiding the scars from Nixie's view.

"Probably."

It would've. If she'd turned at the wrong time she could have easily caused further injuries to Rita or to herself and what good would that have been?

"Wouldn't it be faster to use your powers?" Nixie asked. Towel drying took ages. She'd tried once and then given up. There'd been a lecture about that. Rita had made some good points. But just because she listened, didn't mean Nixie was going to take them on board.

"I'm not fit to use my powers yet."

"Oh." She'd never thought about that. That had even been one of the points in the lecture.

"Can you help?" Rita asked.

Nixie held her hand out, fingers splayed and slowly curled them inwards. She was better with direct water manipulation but even first year Mermaids could heat water. Steam rose up and dissipated to nothing as the water evaporated.

* * *

_And then you look around, this world is tumbling down, but I'm n-not afraid with you. _

Singing helped her to forget. Singing with David worked ever better than when she sat alone in the Moon Pool. Singing alone just made her upset and made her miss Aquata even more.

David played the final chord on his guitar and Sirena came out of the trance she out herself into while singing.

"That was beautiful Sirena. You'll do great at the party tonight."

"I can't wait," Sirena smiled. It was a Full Moon tonight. And she had no idea what they were doing. Were they watching Zac? Going to the Moon Pool? No one told her anything. Nixie was always at the house and Lyla was always with Zac.

David wanted her though. He wanted her to be with him and wanted him to sing with him. Singing with Aquata was one of her favourite things. She didn't know what she'd do if she never saw her again.

Nixie and Lyla were like her sisters in every aspect apart from blood but they had no time for her, no time to sort out how to get back to the Pod. She just wanted to see Aquata again.

"Ready for the next one?" David asked.

"Of course," Sirena said.

"How about 'Night's Call'?"

Sirena nodded and David began playing the introduction. She waited for her cue and began to sing.

_Sitting around as the night is falling, feel the soft breeze through the night air calling, and I can't help this way I'm feeling._

* * *

"So I have no idea how to make tea," Nixie flicked the switch of the kettle again. The water bubbled and the switch clicked off a second later.

"I'll get it," Rita said.

"No. You need to sit down before you fall down. Tell me what to do and I'll bring everything over." Nixie looked around the counter. So many jars. Four of them. Two black, two white.

"I can stand and make tea," Rita argued back.

"You only just managed to walk through here. Sit down." Even then Nixie had helped her about three quarters of the way. The Mermaid had kept 'mis-stepping' and after that Nixie had kept a hold of Rita's arm.

"Teabags are in the black jar beside the kettle, sugar in the glass beside that. Teabag goes in the cup, two spoons of sugar then pour in the water," Rita took a seat at the kitchen counter, on one of the high chairs.

"Thank you." Nixie followed the instructions and set the cup down on the table in front of Rita. The Mermaid immediately picked the cup up and set it down on one of those small wooden boards.

"Thanks."

"It's fine, Veridia would probably kill me if she knew I let you make this yourself and you got injured."

Nixie turned away and opened the fridge door. There were prawns in here last time she'd looked that would do for a late breakfast.

"Veridia's gone isn't she?"

Nixie screwed up her face as she took out the box of de-shelled prawns and set it beside the plate. She hadn't been sure if Rita knew or not. Now it was time to be the messenger of bad news. Again. She dropped a couple handfuls of prawns onto the plate and put the box back in the fridge.

"I'm sorry," Nixie turned around and set the plate of prawns on the table.

Rita shrugged, "it's a Full Moon. She has to be with the Pod. You know what they're like."

She did know what they were like, she really did.

"I tried to make her stay," Nixie found two small plates in the rack beside the sink and picked them up, "let her know exactly what I was thinking."

She set the two plates down on the table, one in front of Rita, the other one at her seat.

"You didn't need to do that," Rita said.

"I needed to do something," Nixie took the seat opposite Rita.

"You've already done plenty. Did you really swim the whole way to the Pod?"

"Yup. And back again," Nixie popped a prawn into her mouth. It had been a hard swim. The whole way back she'd been fighting to keep up with Veridia.

"How did you manage to find them?"

Nixie swallowed before answering.

"I asked some dolphins. They pointed me in the right direction then when I got close enough Meredith found me and took me to the Council. That was the first time I'd ever been dragged before the Council. They're kind of scary."

"They used to be worse."

Nixie laughed and took another prawn, "you should have some more. You've hardly had anything."

Rita took another prawn and set it on her plate.

"Better?"

Nixie just nodded, it was rude to speak with her mouth full. It didn't usually stop her but she was being nice. It wasn't actually better, the tiny portion Rita had taken was nowhere near enough but it was something.

"Thank you."

"For what?" Nixie asked.

"Going to the Pod. It can't have been an easy thing, facing the Council like that."

Nixie shrugged, "didn't really have a choice. Besides it was my idea. No one else was coming up with any good ideas. You know I'm the smart one."

"That's debatable."

"Hey!" Nixie pretended to be offended, but couldn't stop smiling. Her smile dropped when she noticed Rita had looked away and held a hand up to her face, covering her mouth.

"You okay?" Nixie asked softly.

"Not really."

"She's not worth it."

"That's the problem. She is."

Oh.

"She said she'd be back," Nixie said, trying to smile. She wasn't going to mention that she told Veridia not to bother. Rita was hurting enough, she didn't need to make it worse.

"She'll be back, "Nixie placed a hand over Rita's. "You'll see."

* * *

**I moved almost 2,000 words of this to the next chapter and this still ended up almost 4,000 words.**

**I got a new laptop so I've been getting more writing done recently. Chapter 15 is sitting at almost 2,000 words so far with a decent outline in place but we'll see how to goes. I'm hoping to have a shorter wait than there has been but I can't promise anything. **

**Until next time, I'll try not to take too long :) **


	15. Chapter 15

**I actually met a personally set deadline for once! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Summary: ****Nixie continues her investigation into the salve and another plan is formed. **

* * *

In the nine years since she last saw Veridia she'd thought about her everyday.

It was hard not to. Veridia had been one of the most important things in her life for so long; leaving her was the hardest thing she'd done. She couldn't have stayed. It wouldn't have just been her the Council took their anger out on. They would have punished Veridia as well. Just as Rita had always wanted to become a teacher, Veridia had always wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps and earn a place on the Council. They would never have let Veridia have her place if Rita had stayed.

It had worked though. All the pain had been worth it. She became a teacher on land instead and Veridia had surpassed her mother to become head of the Council and leader of the Pod. She just wished she'd been there to see that.

Whenever she'd thought about seeing Veridia again, nothing she'd thought of had come close to the reality. She couldn't even remember what had actually happened. It wasn't fair. Nine years and she couldn't remember seeing her. There were just little flashes but nothing solid - it may well have never happened. She missed her. Unreliable memories weren't enough. All she had were memories of people she missed - Veridia, Harry, everyone in the Pod.

The water in the pool rippled as she moved her fin to the side. The one movement she was capable of that wasn't stiff or accompanied with pain. What good was a Mermaid who couldn't swim? Rita flicked the edges of her fin, letting the water roll over her fluke.

The water shifted below her fin as another Mermaid swam in. She was expecting Lyla to surface, it was usually her who swam in alone. Sirena rarely came in the underwater entrance alone and Nixie was upstairs.

The Mermaid surfaced and turned to face her. It was Veridia.

"Veridia." Rita crossed the narrow distance to hug her. Veridia returned the gesture wrapping her arms around her. She never wanted to let go.

"You came back." She honestly thought she would never see her again.

"I had to make sure you were okay."

If it was possible she would have pulled Veridia closer. It was a Full Moon. Veridia should be with the Pod, not here with her.

"What about the Pod?" Rita asked.

Sure the majority of the Pod may not even notice her absence, the young ones for instance, but the Council certainly would. It was tradition for the Pod leader to be there, leading the 'important' Mermaids in celebration of the Full Moon. They would not be impressed with Veridia. Especially since she was here of all places.

Veridia pulled back slightly and Rita begrudgingly loosened her arms from around the Mermaid.

"They can cope without me for one ceremony."

"Bet they were delighted with that." She couldn't stop herself from smiling. Traditions were everything in the Pod. She knew that. Veridia knew that. Everyone knew that. Yet here Veridia was.

"I told Misako what was happening and she permitted a longer stay."

"The head of the council needs permission to do something?"

"That's what I said too," Veridia said. "Vanora enforced it when I returned, despite no longer having a place on the Council, at any level. The others agreed with her"

"Of course she did. She has a legacy to uphold."

When she first met Ms Trumble she was reminded of Vanora. They had the same attitude of entitlement. Vanora doing anything to stay involved in the Council to maintain relevancy and Ms Trumble doing anything to take the job of principal.

"None of the other ex-council members do that."

"None of the other ex-council members have a daughter on the council," Rita reminded her.

I went to see Kelpie though," Veridia said. "She gave me one of her healing balms. Put it on once a day and it will help the scars heal."

"Kelpie gave you that?"

She'd left the Pod so long ago, she didn't think any of them would care what happened to her. She was a 'traitor' to the Pod's values.

"Some of the Pod still care about you," Veridia said softly. "Una was asking about you."

Una had been the first of them to get legs and go on land. They'd 'dated' - as land people called it - but it didn't take long to realise they worked better as friends. That and the feelings she had for Veridia. It took seeing Rita with Una to make Veridia finally admit she felt the same.

"How is she?"

"She's good. She teaches the hatchlings how to hunt now."

"Never would have thought she'd be a teacher." Una was … wild. She flaunted every rule she could and was a force of chaos no matter what she did. She was the last Mermaid Rita would trust to be a teacher.

"Teacher is a bit of a stretch, it's more of a supervisor of chaos, but she's calmed down a lot in the last few years. She's with Naia now."

She'd never had much interaction with Naia, the Mermaid was a few years younger than they were but came across as quiet and reserved - Una's opposite in every way.

"How are you feeling now?" Veridia asked.

"Tired and sore," Rita answered truthfully. While the water had marginally helped - it wasn't enough.

"Kelpie told me something that could help - the Moon Pool at the height of the Full Moon. We can go to the Moon Pool tonight."

Except the Moon Pool was at Mako, she hadn't swum in a week and she was drained. She'd over done it and she certainly couldn't make it that far.

"I don't think I can manage the swim. I'm exhausted just walking down here."

"I'll help you." Veridia took her hand. It felt nice. "We'll take our time and the Moon will be out; moonlight always helps and the Sea too."

On the other hand, a swim to Mako with Veridia would be nice, and if it got rid of the mucky feeling in her head and the pain across her shoulder and the stiffness in her tail… She wanted to feel normal again. She wanted to get back to her life

Rita nodded, "okay."

"We'll leave as soon as it gets dark. That will give us enough time to get to Mako before the Moon's peak."

* * *

At first glance Veridia thought the grotto was empty. Then she heard it. Nixie cursing and something thudding heavily. She made her way across the upper level and found Nixie back in the same alcove as the last time.

Nixie looked around and barely took a second before turning back to the small chest she held in her hands. Around five similar looking chests were set out on the table.

"You came back." Nixie's voice was hard, and cold, a far cry from the welcome Rita gave her.

"I said I would," Veridia said. She was always going to come back.

"I didn't hold out any hope," Nixie opened the chest and shoved it aside.

"I went to get help from the Pod's healer."

"Did you get it?" Nixie dragged another chest over and opened it.

"I did. What are you doing?"

"Seeing which of these is locked," Nixie shrugged and tried another chest.

"Why?" The writhing in her stomach told her she really didn't want to know the answer.

"Rita said she keeps everything dangerous locked away," Nixie said. "So how did that Irukandji end up in the Moon Jelly?"

Her blood ran cold.

"You told her what happened?" Veridia demanded. Rita hadn't given any indication that she knew -

"Of course not, I'm not stupid. She doesn't remember anything from last night" Nixie slammed the chest down on the table. "None of these are locked,"

"You'll break it."

"Where would she keep it?" Nixie snapped.

Veridia passed Nixie and took down a silver box from one of the sandstone shelves. She'd seen it when she was down here making that salve in the first place. She recognised it instantly - it had been her who gave it to Rita back in the Pod.

"How did you know it was there?"

"We were always taught to store any venoms and toxins away from other supplies. She kept her's in here," Veridia set the box down on the table and tried the lid. The flood of relief when it remained stubbornly locked made her head swim. "It's still locked."

"Can you unlock it?" Nixie asked.

Veridia brushed her finger over the lock, the silver glowed a soft purple under her touch. "The lock's been enchanted. It needs a key."

"You can enchant locks?"

"You can, but it's more difficult than you think."

It was a fairly complicated procedure; but effective. Only the key with the same enchantment would unlock it. Even the most powerful Mermaid couldn't use her powers to open it.

"Where would she keep the key?" Nixie asked.

"I have no idea." It would be hidden somewhere. With three young Mermaids around the main house was a good bet.

"Can you break the enchantment?"

"I don't know."

"It's either that or ask Rita."

"We can't ask her." She wasn't doing that. She'd sooner search every cave in ever ocean before putting that stress onto Rita right now.

"So break it. Unless you can't." Nixie's voice was hard and pointed and Veridia did not miss the challenge in her words.

Sealing enchantments came in a few different types, the most common being either defensive or protective. Each type had a different method of breaking. Then there was the strength of it.

Rita was powerful. For something like this, sealing away dangerous, verging on deadly, substances - it would be a powerful enchantment.

Veridia pressed two fingers against the lock and kept them there. The purple glow pulsed outwards from her fingertips. The lack of violent lightning bursts around the lock meant, thankfully for her, it was a protective seal rather than defensive.

She removed her hand and the glow stopped.

"Well?"

"I should be able to." As long as Rita had the supplies. Which she probably did. The Mermaid had an extensive collection that rivalled even the best healers of the Pod.

"What's in all these?" Veridia motioned to the chests Nixie had gathered up.

"Dried stuff, potion mixes, jars of stuff, jars of stuff, nice stones," Nixie pointed to each chest in turn.

Veridia opened the one with dried ingredients. She took out a vial filled with fine purple powder, three quarters filled, and set it beside the silver chest. In the 'potion mixes' chest she found a vial in the bottom corner with a clear but shimmery liquid inside.

"Are there any fabric sheets on the shelf behind you?" Veridia asked.

Nixie shrugged but turned to look without complaint. She handed over a small sheet of white silk without a word.

Veridia thanked her and set the sheet beside her gathered supplies. Veridia tipped a small amount of the purple powder out onto the sheet. She summoned a single drop of water from the air and mixed into the powder with her power. She added four drops of the shimmery clear liquid from the vial and the powder mix sizzled.

Capping the vial and setting it aside, Veridia picked up the sheet, curling the sides in as she did so. She tipped the mixture into the lock and discarded the sheet aside. Veridia used her Moon Ring on the lock, directing the energy to dispersing the enchantment. Her ring's light faded.

She held her breath until there was a small pop and the purple glow ripped across the chest for a final time and disappeared.

Nixie took another step forward and came to Veridia's side. Veridia opened the lid of the chest. It was more filled than she'd expected with two rows of vials and a row of small jars. She ran her fingers over the tops of the vials, stopping on one with a tiny silver jellyfish painted onto the lid. Irukandji. Veridia took it out and held it up. The vial was empty.

No. No. No.

"It's empty," Nixie said.

Veridia set the vial down back in its place and closed the lid. She didn't trust her voice.

"Maybe she used it for something?" Nixie asked.

Veridia shook her head and swallowed, "there's very little you can make with this, and if it was low she would have re-filled it. She hates having empty vials mixed with used ones."

At the time she'd been too worried about the dangers of the jellyfish to think too much into it, but now...

"So someone came in here, found this chest, unlocked the enchanted lock with the very specific key and deliberately mixed Irukandji with the Moon Jelly?" Nixie questioned. "It doesn't make any sense. It would have to have been someone who knew about this place, knew everything that was going on and knew where the key was."

What Nixie said, it was right.

Veridia put the chest back on the shelf and turned to go. She had to be with Rita.

"Where are you going?" Nixie demanded.

"To see Rita."

"What about this?" Nixie gestured, "doesn't this need dealt with?"

"There's nothing we can do. I'm not asking Rita anything about this until she's recovered and you're not either."

"And when will that be?"

"Hopefully after tonight she'll start making a proper recovery."

"Tonight?"

"The Moon Pool on a Full Moon should help."

"'Should' help? Like the salve 'should help'."

"That was never meant to happen. Whatever you may think of me, I never intended to hurt her."

"But you did. By leaving without saying anything. You hurt her. It doesn't matter that you came back. You'll be leaving again anyway," Nixie stormed past her and vanished out of the doorway, heading down towards the pool.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Rita asked as Nixie all but stormed into the cavern with the pool. She'd tried to calm herself down on the walk down but it was too short a walk for too strong an anger.

"Fine," Nixie sat on the edge of the pool, "I'm fine. I'm going out a swim, see if I can find Sirena."

"Okay."

Nixie slipped forward into the water and let herself shift instantly. It felt nice changing in the water, instead of the feeling of two legs kicking uselessly while her clothes twisted and constricted against her.

Nixie stretched her arms out in front of her and swam forward, her tail curling under her. Taking care not to break the surface, she flicked her fin and propelled forward out into the tunnel and into the open sea.

She swam to Mako without even thinking about it and broke the surface in the Moon Pool before she realised where she was.

"Nixie!"

The moment Nixie surfaced she was tackled by Sirena wrapping her arms around her.

"You didn't show up for food, Sirena was worried," Lyla explained while looking entirely unbothered about Nixie's absence.

"Glad to see you care so much about me Lyla," Nixie untangled herself from Sirena, "I was with Rita."

"How is she?" Lyla asked.

"Do you want the long version or the short version?"

"What does that mean?"

"Hmm, let's see after you left I had to help her walk through to her room because she could hardly stand, then a little while later I found her unconscious on the floor."

"What?" Sirena's eyes went wide, her face showing her concern unrestricted. Unlike Lyla. The other Mermaid hardly seemed to move.

"Those cuts got infected," Nixie said. "She ended up with a fever and then to top it all off Veridia decided to leave."

"Veridia's gone?" Lyla asked. That glimmer of hope in Lyla's voice was almost enough to make Nixie loose it again. Least nothing could get broken this time.

"She came back. She's with Rita now because although she is awake and better than was, she can still hardly walk and is on the verge of complete exhaustion."

"Is she going to be okay?" Sirena asked softly. Nixie wrapped her arm around Sirena and the other Mermaid nestled in closer.

"Veridia seems to think so, she's going to take her here tonight. " She would never admit it to Veridia but it was a good plan. They'd thought of it in the beginning but back then the Moon had been too far away.

"Is she fit to go that far?" Lyla asked.

"No. But it's all we've got left."

* * *

The cafe was mostly empty when Lyla entered. David was behind the counter, Evie was at her shop with another land person, and three people sat across two tables. Then Zac. He was at a table by himself but the two glasses in front of him suggested Evie had been with him; and would be joining him again.

Lyla needed to talk to him before that happened.

Tonight was a Full Moon and Zac's last two had not ended well, the last one in particular. The night that had thrown them at odds with each other when Zac discovered that they were in fact Mermaids. They were at a truce now though, or least she and Zac were, after what had happened.

"Hey Zac."

Zac looked up and smiled uneasily, "Lyla." His eyes darted over to Evie's shop. Lyla glanced over but Evie remained busy helping the land girl look at tops.

"Full Moon tonight," Lyla said. "How are you feeling?"

Zac looked over at Evie again, then turned back to Lyla, "I'm scared. What if I go straight for the Trident again?"

Lyla took an empty seat at the table beside him.

"You won't. I'll stay with you. We can block up the windows and stop the Moonlight from getting in."

"That hasn't worked before Lyla."

The last Full Moon had been Nixie's fault. She was the one who pulled the covering down and let Zac become overwhelmed with the Moon.

"Then I'll teach you to fight it. All Mermaids are taught to fight it as hatchlings, no reason why Mermen can't fight it either."

"I'll do it," Zac agreed instantly. "I want to control this. I don't want to hurt anyone."

"You won't." Zac could never hurt anyone.

"I already have," Zac whispered, "and that was without the Trident."

Oh.

"What happened wasn't your fault Zac," Lyla put her hand over his. She tucked her other hand, the one with the Moon Ring, under the table. It felt so natural against her skin, she never wanted to take it off. What happened was an accident. As long as she kept the ring safe on her, nothing like that could happen again.

Zac refused to meet her eyes and said nothing. What happened was just an accident and Rita was okay. ish. She was awake again at least, and if Nixie was to be believed- recovering but exhausted.

"How is she?" Zac asked, his voice coming out hardly more than a whisper, his eyes still on the table.

Lyla hesitated. Okay-ish sounded so stupid. Zac was twisting himself up over this. She had to do better. For him.

Zac looked up, "what? Did something happen?"

"She's better now but ... "

"What?" Zac asked. "Lyla?"

"Those burns - they opened and got infected. She was really bad last night but she's okay now and Veridia's taking her to the Moon Pool tonight."

"And that will help?" Zac whispered. The hurt in his voice made her insides knot.

Lyla nodded. Veridia thought it would. Sirena did too. Nixie ... Nixie hadn't voiced any strong opinion, which was unusual. Nixie had an opinion on everything. Usually the opposite of whatever Lyla herself thought.

Lyla took her hand back as Cam walked past, eyeing her and shaking his head.

"Hey, did any of you guys lose a necklace?" Zac asked, getting his voice back.

"Don't think so," Lyla thought for a second. "None of us wear any." They annoyed her. Some Mermaids in the Pod wore them, those who created potions and the like were given pendants to signify their skill. Very few made it beyond the dolphin pendant.

"I found one under my table, a silver seahorse."

One of them wore a necklace. Rita had a silver seahorse pendant that she wore everyday. She was the only Mermaid she'd seen with a seahorse.

"That could be Rita's. Do you have it?" She didn't know it had been lost. Nixie hadn't said anything and Lyla had avoided Veridia.

"Not on me. The chain was broken so my mum's fixing it. She said it would be fixed tomorrow. I can give it back then."

"I'll give it to her," Lyla said. Maybe it would get Nixie off her back and it was important to Rita.

"I'll get it to you tomorrow."

"Thank you Zac."

"Thank you for what?" Evie came up behind Zac. Always with the best timing.

"His mum's fixing a necklace for me," Lyla said. It was the truth. Not that Evie ever seemed to believe her when she told the truth.

"A necklace?" Evie raised an eyebrow.

"It's Rita's. It broke and we wanted to get it fixed for her."

Evie softened immediately and took the seat between Lyla and Zac.

"How's she doing?" Evie asked. She seemed so genuine. But then so did turles until they try to take a bite from your tail.

"Better," Lyla answered. Evie didn't need to know the specifics.

"We all miss her at school."

"I'll tell her that," Lyla smiled, and stood up ready to go. "Might help her feel better. Thank you again Zac."

"No problem Lyla. I'll have it for you tomorrow."

If all went well tonight, tomorrow was looking to be a good day.

* * *

**The first part of this, from the start until the cafe scene was going to be in the last chapter but all of that was going to be waayy too long and cutting it meant I could get the last chapter posted up faster. Fun fact the cafe scene was initially written to be in chapter 12... **

**Also faceclaim for Vanora is Leslie Hope. I binge watched Slasher on Netflix in four days, Leslie Hope was in season 2 and she reminded me of Veridia as soon as I saw her.**

**Chapter 16 is sitting at 1,200 words and is not very developed so it will probably a few weeks before it's up. I'm finally getting back to work next week which may slow down work, depending how many shifts I get. Or if I get any, there was talk of rotating staff on a three week basis. **

**Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll be back with chapter 16 as soon as I can.**

**Until next time!**


	16. Chapter 16

**An unplanned update, but an update nontheless. **

**Summary: Old feelings burn bright and the countdown to Moonrise begins. **

* * *

The water splashed up against the ledge as Nixie slipped under the surface, disrupting the water. The younger Mermaid disappeared off through the sea entrance in a flash of orange. The water was still settling when more footsteps came down through the tunnel to the cavern.

"Did Nixie come this way?" Veridia stopped in the doorway.

"She did, she just left and she didn't look too happy," Rita said. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Veridia shook her head slightly. "She's just worried. It's been a difficult week and Nixie's been so great. Everything's just getting to her."

"She told me what happened," Rita said, "when you left."

"Oh." Veridia didn't look away, but her eyes definitely shifted to the side, not quite meeting Rita's gaze. "She doesn't hold back does she?"

"It's a good quality."

"In small doses," Veridia added. She left her position at the doorway and sat down by the edge of the pool, her turquoise dress flowing like water around her.

"Isn't everything?"

"I'm sorry for leaving without saying anything," Veridia apologised, "but I needed to see Kelpie."

Someone told her once that any apology that began with 'I'm sorry, but' wasn't a real apology. Veridia meant it though. She left to get help.

"Even if you had I wouldn't have remembered. I barely remember anything from this week. It's all blurry."

That's not to say it didn't hurt, but that was from knowing that Veridia had been here and gone. What good would a goodbye have been, when she couldn't remember anything.

"How's your memory been since the fever?"

"Alright. I think." It's not like she would know if she'd forgotten anything, but when she thought back over the past day - it was clear tapes playing in her mind, not the fog from the past however many days it was now.

"It shouldn't be a problem, but you should keep an eye on that in case you have any issues."

"Okay."

'_You.'_ Veridia had said. '_You should keep an eye on it.'_ Which meant she wasn't planning on staying. It shouldn't have come as a surprise but Veridia's confirmation cut like a knife. Rita did her best to swallow the lump that had grown in her throat while the soft waves kept the silence at bay.

"Well it's a few hours until it's dark," Veridia broke the still, "do you want to try Kelpie's salve now? That way if there's any ill effects there's time to overcome them before we have to leave."

_Ill effects? From a healing potion?_

"What kind of ill effects?" Rita voiced her thoughts, "it's a healing potion."

"New recipes aren't always accurate," Veridia words came out faster than seemed normal. "Better to be overcautious."

"I guess." She wasn't convinced though.

Veridia lifted a small silver container, that Rita's never noticed, from the ledge in the pool and cast the water off it with her power. She should have noticed that. The water droplets created small ripples across the surface of the pool.

"I'll give you a hand getting out the water," Veridia offered.

"You'll end up with a tail too," Rita pointed out.

"It takes two seconds to dry off," Veridia held out her hand.

Rita reached out her uninjured arm and took Veridia's outstretched hand.

The end result was exactly what she expected. The both of them on the ground with tails, her lying on her stomach, Veridia right beside her on her back, propped up on her elbows. The laughter though - that was unexpected. It felt so good to laugh. To let her walls down and just be, just for a second, without worrying about anything.

* * *

"I still think we need to be with Lyla tonight," Sirena said. Nixie sighed and turned around, walking a couple paces back to Sirena, back along the jetty that held the Ocean Cafe.

"You promised David you'd sing," Nixie reminded her, "You want to let him down?"

There was some party on at the cafe and Sirena had agreed to sing, until Nixie informed her the party was on the night of the Full Moon. The first Full Moon since Zac almost got the Trident. And now the Full Moon that could finally end this awful week.

Sirena had tried to back out, but the Mermaid was too soft and ended up promising David she'd be there no matter what. Then Lyla went and wrecked it by declaring her plan to watch Zac and immediately coming down onto Nixie for not going along with it.

"No," Sirena admitted, " but I feel bad leaving Lyla on her own."

"It was her choice. We'll go to the party and once it's done we'll find out how Rita is. Lyla can handle Zac. She doesn't want us with them anyway."

"I still feel bad."

Nixie hooked her arm around Sirena's.

"Even if we just go for the start of the party, how about that?" Nixie suggested. "Sing until moonrise and then say you're sick and we can go check on Lyla?"

"Okay," Sirena grinned.

* * *

Veridia helped Rita to her feet, stepping away once she had gotten her balance. On instinct Rita put a hand to her neck to touch the seahorse pendant she always wore and found her neck bare.

"Do you know where my necklace is?" Rita asked.

"Which one?"

"The seahorse," Rita said, dropping her hand from her neck. "The one you gave me."

Mermaids were gifted pendants once they reached a certain skill level in Apothecary, a different pendant for each level. She had been given the seahorse pendant, one of the highest levels. Veridia had been the one to give it to her, because of that she'd never been able to bring herself to take it off the way she had her Moon Ring.

"I haven't seen it." Veridia paused "You still have it?"

"Of course," Rita said, meeting Veridia's eyes. "I wear it everyday."

"One of the Mermaids might know," Veridia said quietly, looking away.

"I'll ask them when I see them."

Veridia nodded. "Are you alright to walk through?"

"I don't think so," Rita admitted. She was managing to stand alright but she didn't trust that would last more than a few steps.

Veridia slipped her arm around Rita's waist. She probably didn't need Veridia's support quite as much as she let on, but it was nice having Veridia's arm around her. Rita kept that thought until she tried to take a step on her own once they made it to the grotto and her knees buckled under her.

* * *

"Sit."

Rita sat at the table as Veridia busied herself opening the silver jar. More often than not this table ended up serving as her desk for work besides potion-making, despite having her office upstairs. It was easier to focus down here, amongst the natural stone and the soft waves lapping in the pool that you could only hear during the silence.

"Kelpie said this should help fade at least some of the scar."

Rita nodded. Some is better than none.

"Can I see how bad it is now?" Veridia asked cautiously.

Rita's stomach turned but she nodded anyway. "Okay," she said quietly.

Rita pulled her t-shirt up over her head and held the material against her chest. The cool air of the grotto tingled against her skin.

Lines of harsh red and white, like branches, spread out from the centre of her chest in all directions, fading out up at the base of her neck and curling harshly down her stomach and over her side stopping above her hip.

"Does it still hurt?"

"A bit. Mostly when I move."

Veridia lightly touched the scar over her collarbone. Rita hissed sharply. That hurt.

"Sorry," Veridia withdrew her hand, "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's okay," Rita placed her hand on top of Veridia's. She needed to focus on anything other than the situation she was in, sitting shirtless, clutching her top to her chest with butterflies fluttering away in her stomach.

"Here," Veridia held out the silver dish, "I'll let you put it on."

"I can't see, especially not my collarbone."

Veridia laughed and placed her fingertip under Rita's chin.

"Chin up."

The fluttering moved down in her stomach and the cool touches on her collarbone and the base of her neck from Veridia applying the potion did not help. The pain disappeared as the cream touched her skin.

"Does that hurt?"

Rita shook her head, "not anymore."

Veridia lightly placed her hand on Rita's cheek. Rita rested her hand on top of Veridia's.

"I'm sorry," Rita said softly.

"For what?"

"For how I left you. I can't change it but I'm sorry."

Veridia slipped her hand off Rita's cheek and took her free hand into hers.

"Don't. Not now. That wasn't your fault."

"It was my choices that led to it."

Veridia's hand was back on her cheek and her forehead pressed against hers.

Through closed eyes, Rita tilted her chin up and felt Veridia's lips ghosting against her own. There was nothing more she wanted than to break that last bit of distance

A loud clatter sounded behind them and the moment was gone. Veridia stepped away and let her hand drop.

"I'll leave you to do the rest. I'll go see what that was."

There was a soft breeze as Veridia brushed past her and then she was alone once more.

* * *

"Is Veridia here?" Nixie tentatively looked around the pool cavern, but it appeared only Rita was in the water. She'd kept herself cloaked all the way through the house just in case, checking each room on her way down to the grotto.

"No, she left a little while ago."

Seriously? Again?

"Where to?" Nixie asked. If she said 'the Pod' … Why come all the way back here, just to leave again?

"Mako. She's been going back and forth all day."

"Doing what?" Nixie scrunched up her face.

"Not sure," Rita shrugged slightly, "she did say but I was half asleep."

"Hmm." Nixie leaned against the stone wall. She didn't really care but it would be rude to say that.

"She'll be back soon, not too long until Moonrise now. She said she'll be back before then."

Once the Moon rose that would be it. Everything would begin to come to a head. Come morning everything will have changed. For everyone's sake Nixie hoped it was the best. Rita would be better, Zac would no longer be a problem and the Trident would still be safe on Mako.

"How are you feeling about it?" Nixie asked.

"I want this over with."

She'd never agreed with the older Mermaid more.

"Me too."

* * *

Zac finished taping over the last window when Cam threw open the door dramatically and terribly singing 'spooky scary skeletons.' He stopped when he saw Lyla sitting on the couch, holding out the roll of cellotape.

"Where's your costume man?" Cam threw out his arms, "we're going to be late! I told Carly we'd be there for half past. Lyla, glad to see you've made an effort to dress up. Looking real scary, I dig it."

"I'm not going anymore Cam," Zac turned to face Cam. "Lyla's going to help me control the Moon Spell."

"Right." Cam nodded slowly, pursing his lips.

"It's what's best," Lyla said.

"I'm sure Evie will see it that way when you let her down again. Have fun," Cam stalked out and left the door open behind him. Lyla darted across and pulled it shut.

"Zac?"

"It's fine."

"You're making the right choice Zac."

* * *

Veridia surfaced in the grotto pool in front of Rita.

"Are you ready to go?" Veridia asked.

"Yeah."

Rita slipped forward off the ledge and under the water, surfacing again without wasting anytime. That last time she went under had brought back the memories of _that _place, something she didn't want to repeat.

Her tail felt stiff and almost useless as she treaded water at the surface. She hadn't swum and hardly even moved in days. And now she was going to swim to Mako. How Veridia thought this was going to go well was beyond her. She was as likely to drown on the way over as actually make it there.

"Come on," Veridia ducked under the water and dove down, her tail just breaking the surface and no more. Rita took a breath and followed her, diving under the water and stretching out her tail properly for the first time, swimming out into the sea tunnel.

* * *

**This was originally part of a much longer 4,000 word chapter but I decided to split it (again) just so a) I could actually get something posted, and b) it makes it easier to focus on writing when it's smaller pieces. Plus work is draining me right now so I don't have as much time to write as I want to. **

**Chapter 17 is a completed first draft so hopefully it won't be too long until it's done, I've got a few days I'm only doing breakfast shifts, leaving me free the rest of the day to actually do writing stuff.**

**Also I keep forgetting to mention - if anyone notices any grammatical errors, feel free let me know :) **

**Until next time!**


	17. Chapter 17

**This should not have taken this long.**

**Summary: The Full Moon rises.**

* * *

Nixie felt it the moment the Moon rose. Every Mermaid could, but Sirena still singing on the stage gave no outward sign that she felt it. Nixie tried to catch Sirena's eye to no avail. She was too wrapped up in her performance.

When the song ended Nixie slipped through the crowd and caught Sirena as she skipped off the stage.

"The moon's up," Nixie whispered as she reached Sirena. "Make your excuses and let's go."

"What do I say?" Sirena asked, her eyes wide, like those dogs people always fawned over.

"Tell him," Nixie trailed off as she struggled to put a believed excuse together, "tell him that Rita needs us at home."

"Is everything okay?" David walked up carrying two bottles of water. Nixie could see the condensation on the sides from here.

"Not really," Nixie said before Sirena could back out. She had too good a heart.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" David set the bottles down and turned his entire attention to Sirena.

"It's Rita," Nixie answered, "we need to go home and see her, make sure she's okay."

"I'm sorry David," Sirena apologised.

"No, that's okay," David put his arm around Sirena's shoulder, "you did so well but the band can cover the rest of the set. I hope your aunt's okay."

"Thank you David," Sirena kissed David's cheek before Nixie grabbed Sirena's hand and pulled her out of the crowded cafe into the slightly less empty outside.

"Come on," Sirena made towards the dock but Nixie grabbed her arm.

"There's too many people about, we'll go round the back."

* * *

The Moon called to him.

It's song gnawing on his mind. Seeping into his bones. Every fibre of his body wanted him to rip down the covering, to let the Moon's light in and take off the Mako.

_Moon Pool. Trident. Blood. Moon Pool. Trident. Blood. _

He focused on his nightmare from the last two nights. He didn't want the Trident. He didn't want the Trident. He didn't want the Trident.

"Lyla," Zac called out.

"I'm here," Lyla was at his side in an instant. "You're okay Zac. You can do this."

"I'm not strong enough for this."

"You are Zac."

* * *

Rita surfaced beside Veridia and let the other Mermaid guide her to the ledges that lined the edge of the pool underwater to rest. She leaned back against the rock and exhaled heavily. The swim had taken so long and drained what little energy she had to begin with. They'd had to keep stopping and surfacing. The Moon's light had helped but before they were even halfway to Mako she'd had to rely on Veridia to support her entirely at the surface.

"Are you okay?" Veridia sat on the ledge beside her.

Rita nodded, "just drained."

"It won't be long until the Moon's overhead. You'll feel better afterwards."

"What if it doesn't work?"

"It will."

"But if it doesn't?"

"We'll wait and see."

Rita shifted closer to Veridia and rested her head on her shoulder. She was so tired, she just wanted to sleep. Veridia wrapped her arm around her and rested her chin on Rita's head.

* * *

"I can't do this!" Zac gripped the table, curling his fingers around the edges. The call of Mako, of the Trident, grew stronger each passing second. He didn't know how much longer he could fight it.

"You can. Be strong Zac." Lyla's voice sounded a hundred miles away.

"I can't. I can't do this!" Zac stood up, knocking Lyla away from him. He hardly noticed her hitting the ground, or shouting after him before scrambling up to her feet.

"I'm sorry Lyla." His own voice sounded muted, like trying to talk through a wall of water.

"Zac no!"

Zac pulled open the door and ran out into the garden. His footsteps echoed on the wooden jetty. He dove off the edge without a moment's hesitation.

* * *

Nixie came to a dead stop behind Sirena, almost crashing into her.

"They're not here," Sirena said.

Sure enough the boatshed was empty. There was a chair halfway out from the desk, but all the tapings were all still in place.

"One guess where they've gone," Nixie remarked.

They shared a look before Nixie spun on her heels and lead them out the door back across the garden to the dock.

* * *

The Moon Pool was the heart of Mako. Being back in the pool was being back home. The other Pods they'd met out in the South Pacific were kind and welcoming but nowhere they went was home. Mako was their home.

As long as the Merman was a threat the Pod could not return. It wasn't safe for them and the Pod's safety had to be her priority. Not the Mermaid sleeping beside her, nestled into her side.

Mako was her home, and right now nothing felt more right.

It was an old spoken legend that every Mermaid had another out there who's soul they would be bonded to for life. Most Mermaids never met their other soul. Veridia had always counted herself amongst that number. Sure, she loves- loved Rita, but how could they have been 'soulmates.' Rita had left and found someone else, and a land boy at that. Veridia found someone else. While her and Cordelia had broke it off a while ago, and from the looks of things the land boy wasn't around either - that didn't mean anything despite the events of earlier on.

What happened, what almost happened earlier, almost kissing Rita, was just a fluke, what they had was over. It had to be over. It didn't matter what she felt anymore. The peace and the warmth she felt was from being back at home in the Moon Pool, not from having Rita pressed up against her.

The Mermaid stirred, shifting against her and opened her eyes.

"The Moon's almost up," Veridia said softly.

Rita sat up, lifting her head from Veridia's shoulder but not moving away, her tail lightly pressed against Veridia's.

"You okay?" Veridia asked.

"I think so, just tired."

"Just a little bit yet and then this will all be over."

* * *

"Zac!"

Lyla got to her feet on the beach and scanned the tree line hoping desperately to see Zac. His footprints lead up over the beach and over to the forest. Lyla took off following them up to the trees, only the silver light from the Moon illuminating the way.

The forest floor was rough and hard going, tree roots and rocks breaking up the paths and low hanging branches threatened to snag her hair and clothes.

"Zac!"

* * *

"It's starting."

The first rays of Full Moon light crept over the lip of the volcano, lighting up the cavern and the Moon Pool. The water began to bubble and Rita let herself slip down and float on her back under the Moon.

* * *

The wall rumbled and the doorway opened. Zac walked through the doorway, the Trident's call now drowning out everything, even the Siren song of the Moon. He had to get the Trident. He needed the Trident.

Zac followed the tunnel round, each turn as natural as the waves. This was his place.

The wall with the Trident symbol engraved lit up as he approached. Zac placed his hand against the light and the water doorway appeared.

"Zac please. Don't do this!" Lyla shouted behind him.

The Mermaids couldn't stop him now. Zac turned around and shoved out his hand, sending Lyla flying backwards against the wall. Without another look Zac dove through the doorway into the water chamber.

The Trident was still where it was. The blue stone rippling with light, calling out to him. Zac swam towards it, his powerful fin propelling him forward.

His hands brushed the cool metal and he took the Trident into his grasp. The power within fizzled under his touch. Zac turned around and swam back to the entrance.

* * *

The final glow of the Moon's light vanished as the Moon passed out of line of the top of Mako and the Moon Pool settled down.

For the first time in days she actually felt okay. There was no pain, no lingering aches and the final dregs of the fever the Moonlight hadn't shaken off were eradicated.

"Well?"

Rita turned over onto her stomach, an action that no longer caused any pain, and swam back to the ledge. The stiff and awkward movements of her tail from earlier were completely gone.

"I feel good."

The smile on Veridia's face was something she could happily look at forever.

"I told you it would work."

Rita couldn't stop her own smile, especially when Veridia pulled her in a hug. Rita returned the gesture, wrapping her arms around Veridia.

"You were right," Rita whispered. "I know how much you like to hear that."

Veridia laughed.

"Thank you. For everything. If you hadn't been here..."

She didn't need to finish her sentence. They both knew what would have happened, and it would not have ended up with them here.

"I know," Veridia said. "I know."

* * *

The cave wall closed over and the Trident's hold over Zac shattered.

"Zac," Lyla whispered.

Zac blinked. He was on Mako. He had the Trident. Lyla was on the ground with blood dripping from her face.

Zac dropped the Trident and ran to Lyla. The blue stone pulsed with light, it's hold trying to weave into his mind again. He ignored it and dropped to his knees beside Lyla.

"Lyla. I'm so sorry. I have no idea what happened," Zac brushed a blonde strand off Lyla's forehead and examined the Mermaid's face. The blood was coming from a gash on her forehead above her right eye.

"I didn't want this," Zac whispered. "I don't want any of this."

"It's done now."

* * *

That first kiss was everything she'd wanted since she first saw Veridia again. Twelve years. That's how long it had been since she last kissed Veridia. Twelve years, and in that moment it was like those long years never happened. Every, horrible, heartbreaking thing was forgotten about, for just a moment.

It was the best she'd felt in a long time.

She pulled away and rested her forehead against Veridia's, trying to catch her breath back.

"I missed you," Rita breathed.

Veridia pulled back. "You meant that? You said it once the fever had set in."

Rita leaned in and kissed Veridia again. For someone so clever…

"You're so smart but sometimes you are really, really not."

"I missed you too," Veridia admitted.

It was a comfortable silence that settled over, the lapping waves the only sound.

"You ready to head back?" Veridia asked.

"Can we just stay here for a bit first?"

"Okay."

Rita rested her head against Veridia's shoulder.

"What do you talk about after twelve years?" Rita asked.

"I have no idea."

* * *

**First things first, sorry this took so long. I meant to have this up pretty soon after chapter 16 but here we are so... **

**Work has been hectic, family life has been hectic and I'm back at college now so everything is chaos. Second week back of college and I'm behind already, it's all online stuff and quite a few classes (for now anyway) is all self directed study which I just straight up don't have the concentration for. **

**Anyways chapter 18 is started. That is all I can say. Hopefully getting this chapter up will give me motivation to get working on it. **


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